Les adjectifs possessifs is a class of commonly used words denoted as "possessive adjectives." In French, their role is significant. They are used much more often than a similar group of words in Russian grammar.
Difference of concepts
Possessive adjectives in French correspond to possessive pronouns in Russian. They express the belonging of an object to a certain person: mine, ours, theirs. Like adjectives, they are consistent with the main word (noun) by gender, number and case.
Unlike Russian pronouns, adjectifs possessifs ignore the gender of the owner, focusing on the subject of attraction. The gender of the noun referred to is important: Marie / Paul ferme son livre. In Russian, possessive pronouns in the first and second persons singular behave in the same way: your choice is your way. As can be seen from the example, the generic attribute of the word standing after it, and not the subject of attraction, is important for the pronoun. In the plural, the difference disappears, since there is no division into masculine and feminine.
Possessive adjectives also exist in the Russian language, but they mean other words in this category. They also express the belonging of an object to a certain person, however they call it, that is, they are formed from a noun, including on behalf of its own: grandmother’s house, pansies.
Les Adjectifs possessifs and Pronoms possesifs
Why are pronouns and possessive adjectives in French divided? From the term “pronoun” one can clearly understand that this is a word that is used “instead of a name”. It is independent, requires the use of a certain article and is used in the French sentence instead of a noun with a possessive adjective.
For pronouns, there is a paradigm of declension that is different from adjectives. In Russian grammar, these two categories of the French language are expressed by the class of pronouns. The difference is that the use of pronouns with a noun in Russian sentences is optional, except for some syntactic constructions of the language. The most frequent use of the pronoun "his" as an analogue of adjectifs possessifs: "He took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair."
Ways to master grammar
It will help to quickly learn possessive adjectives in French, a table that contains their complete declension paradigm by persons and numbers.
Singulier | Pluriel |
Masculin | Féminin |
| mon | ma | mes |
| ton | ta | tes |
| son | sa | ses |
| notre | nos |
| votre | vos |
| leur | leurs |
With several subjects of action, the possessive pronoun does not differentiate by gender, but only by number. Do not forget that with feminine nouns with the initial h-mute or vowel, the masculine adjective is used: mon arme, ton hache.
The second effective way to remember possessive adjectives in French is to exercise. They are of the same type and consist in choosing the right form of the adjective, which should be put in place of the gap in the sentence. For instance:
Vous la connaissez cette jeune femme? - Oui, c'est ... épouse.
Voici la voiture de Derrick. Voici ... voiture.
Naturally, the required number of exercises depends on the personal speed of assimilation of information, but the more they are performed, the easier it will be to use possessive adjectives in speech. The purpose of such exercises is to bring automatization of knowledge of the grammatical category so as not to waste time on choosing the right form in the future.
The role of possessive adjectives in the language
Possessive adjectives in the French language are a frequently used unit of grammar, which is also expressed in proverbs and sayings: for example, on prend ses jambes à son cou - this is what they say in a hurry.
Knowledge of the category of possessive adjectives is a necessary condition for successful communication in French, since many syntactic constructions cannot do without this class of words.