In most cases, you use the possessive adjectives ma, ta, or sa with a feminine noun (ma valise, ma petite sœur). See Mon, ma, mes; ton, ta, tes; son, sa, ses = my; your; his / her (possessive adjectives)
HOWEVER, you need to know two things:
1. The possessive adjective's ending is always determined by the word directly following it.
2. You never use ma, ta, sa in front of a word starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related noun is feminine: you use mon, ton, son instead, to ease pronunciation.
2. You never use ma, ta, sa in front of a word starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related noun is feminine: you use mon, ton, son instead, to ease pronunciation.
Here are the different contexts where this rule matters:
mon / ton / son + feminine noun starting with a vowel/mute h
When ma, ta, sa is followed directly by a feminine noun starting with a vowel or mute h, it becomes mon, ton, son.
ma / ta / sa + adjective starting with a consonant + feminine noun starting with a vowel/mute h
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a consonant, even if the related feminine noun starts with a vowel or mute h, it remains ma, ta, sa.
mon / ton / son + adjective starting with a vowel/mute h + feminine noun
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related feminine noun starts with a consonant, it becomes mon, ton, son.
More Possessive Adjectives
Notre, nos, votre, vos, leur, leurs = our, your, their (possessive adjectives)
and also the more advanced
Common mistakes with mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes and son/sa/ses (possessive adjectives)
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Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
C'est mon hypothèse. - Oui, ta mauvaise hypothèse !That's my hypothesis. - Yes, your bad hypothesis!
J'ai une horloge qui est plus grande que ton horloge.I have a clock which is bigger than your clock.
