Possessive Adjectives — His/Her (English) vs Son/Sa (French)
English matches the owner's gender; French matches the owned noun's gender
Category: Possessive
The Rule
English possessives match the OWNER's gender: his (male owner), her (female owner). French possessives match the OWNED NOUN's gender: son/sa. This is a fundamental system difference.
Why This Matters
French: 'sa maison' (his/her house — 'sa' because 'maison' is feminine). English: 'his house' (male owner) or 'her house' (female owner). French speakers say 'her car' when meaning a man's car because in French 'voiture' is feminine.
Examples
• His mother is a doctor. (male person's mother) — "Sa mère est médecin." [French 'sa' matches 'mère' (fem.); English 'his' matches the male owner] • Her father is tall. (female person's father) — "Son père est grand." [French 'son' matches 'père' (masc.); English 'her' matches the female owner] • The boy loves his dog. — "Le garçon aime son chien." ['His' because the boy is male — regardless of dog's gender]
Common Mistakes
❌ Marie loves her car. (No error here!) ✅ Marie loves her car. → This happens to be correct! But French speakers might say 'his car' for a woman's car because 'voiture' is feminine in French. ❌ Pierre's mother — her mother is kind. ✅ Pierre's mother — his mother is kind. → Pierre is male → 'his'. French would use 'sa mère' regardless of Pierre's gender because 'mère' is feminine.
Quick Tip
English possessive rule: look at the OWNER. Male → his. Female → her. Ignore the gender of the thing owned. French rule is the opposite: look at the THING. This is the #1 source of his/her confusion for French speakers.
English possessive rule: look at the OWNER. Male → his. Female → her. Ignore the gender of the thing owned. French rule is the opposite: look at the THING. This is the #1 source of his/her confusion for French speakers.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: Marie loves her car. (No error here!) → Correct: Marie loves her car.. This happens to be correct! But French speakers might say 'his car' for a woman's car because 'voiture' is feminine in French.
Incorrect: Pierre's mother — her mother is kind. → Correct: Pierre's mother — his mother is kind.. Pierre is male → 'his'. French would use 'sa mère' regardless of Pierre's gender because 'mère' is feminine.
Quiz
Jean (male) has a sister. How do you refer to her?