Does sa mean his or her in French?

Both. Sa is chosen because the noun after it is feminine singular, not because the owner is female. Sa voiture is his car or her car, and only the context tells you which. If you must specify, say sa voiture à elle.

Why is it mon amie and not ma amie?

Because French avoids a vowel clash between the possessive and the noun. Any feminine noun beginning with a vowel or a mute h takes mon, ton, or son: mon amie, ton histoire, son école. The noun stays feminine throughout.

When do you use ton rather than votre?

Ton goes with anyone you address as tu — friends, family, children, colleagues you're close to. Votre goes with vous, whether that's a group or one person you're being formal with. Mixing them inside a sentence is immediately noticeable.

How do you say its in French?

The same way as his and her: son, sa, ses. Le chien a perdu son collier, the dog lost its collar. French makes no distinction between people and things here, so there's one fewer choice to make than in English.

Why does French say j'ai mal à la tête rather than à ma tête?

The subject already identifies whose head it is, so the possessive adds nothing. French reserves the possessive for cases where ownership is genuinely in question or the body part is described: ses longs cheveux noirs.

French grammar · Beginner

Mon, Ma, Mes, Ton, Ta, Tes, Son, Sa, Ses: French Possessives for One Owner

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

When one person owns something, French uses mon, ma, mes for my, ton, ta, tes for your, and son, sa, ses for his, her, or its. The form is chosen by the thing owned, not by the owner, which is why son can mean either his or her.

Son frère a oublié sa valise et ses papiers.

His brother left his suitcase and his papers behind.

What it is

Nine words cover three owners. Within each set the choice depends entirely on the noun that follows: masculine singular, feminine singular, or plural. The owner's own gender plays no part at all.

mon frère, ma sœur, mes parents — my brother, my sister, my parents.

How to spot it

Look at the noun immediately after the possessive. Its gender and number decide the form; nothing about the person who owns it does.

son vélo — his bike or her bike (vélo is masculine)
sa voiture — his car or her car (voiture is feminine)
ses enfants — his children or her children (plural)
mon amie — my friend, female (mon for the sound, not the gender)

This is the single biggest difference from English, which chooses his or her by looking at the owner. French never does.

Possessive Adjectives Singular Possessors Quick Reference

Nine forms, chosen by the noun that follows

Form	Used before	Example	English
mon	masculine singular, or any noun starting with a vowel	mon frère, mon amie	my brother, my friend
ma	feminine singular starting with a consonant	ma sœur	my sister
mes	any plural	mes parents	my parents
ton	masculine singular, or any noun starting with a vowel	ton chien, ton adresse	your dog, your address
ta	feminine singular starting with a consonant	ta maison	your house
tes	any plural	tes clés	your keys
son	masculine singular, or any noun starting with a vowel	son livre, son école	his/her book, his/her school
sa	feminine singular starting with a consonant	sa chambre	his/her bedroom
ses	any plural	ses affaires	his/her things

Common Possessive Adjectives Singular Possessors Examples in French

The three sets in use:

Mon, Ma, Mes

Mon ordinateur est en panne.: My computer has broken down.
Ma grand-mère habite à Tours.: My grandmother lives in Tours.
J'ai perdu mes lunettes.: I've lost my glasses.
Mon idée était différente.: My idea was different.

Idée is feminine, but it starts with a vowel, so it takes mon. The gender hasn't changed; only the sound has.

Ton, Ta, Tes

Ton café refroidit.: Your coffee is going cold.
Ta réponse m'a surpris.: Your answer surprised me.
Range tes affaires.: Put your things away.
Ton écharpe est tombée.: Your scarf has fallen.

These go with someone you address as tu. For anyone you'd call vous, you need votre and vos instead.

Son, Sa, Ses

Paul a oublié son parapluie.: Paul forgot his umbrella.
Marie a oublié son parapluie.: Marie forgot her umbrella.
Il cherche sa carte d'identité.: He's looking for his ID card.
Elle adore ses cousins.: She loves her cousins.

The first two examples are word for word identical in French. Only the name tells you whether son means his or her.

Where French Uses an Article Instead

Il s'est cassé la jambe.: He broke his leg.
J'ai mal au dos.: My back hurts.
Elle a les cheveux courts.: She has short hair.
Ouvre la bouche.: Open your mouth.

With parts of the body, the verb has already identified the owner, so a possessive would be redundant.

How the Form Is Chosen

Two questions settle every case: which owner, and what does the noun look like?

Agreement Follows the Object

The possessive is an adjective, and French adjectives agree with the noun they modify. Here that noun is the thing owned, so the owner's sex never enters into the calculation.

Sophie range son sac et sa veste.

Sophie is putting away her bag and her jacket.

Sac is masculine, veste is feminine.

Ma, Ta, Sa Vanish Before a Vowel

French avoids two vowels colliding, so a feminine noun starting with a vowel or a mute h takes mon, ton, or son instead. The noun is still feminine, and any adjective agrees with it in the feminine.

Mon amie est italienne.

My friend is Italian.

Feminine + vowel → mon, ton, son.

Context Resolves His Against Her

Because son and sa are ambiguous in isolation, French relies on the surrounding sentence. If you genuinely need to specify, add à lui or à elle after the noun.

C'est son livre à elle, pas à lui.

It's her book, not his.

Add à elle / à lui to disambiguate.

Every Noun Needs Its Own Possessive

English can say my brother and sister with one my. French requires a determiner before each noun, and each one agrees separately with the noun it introduces.

mon père et ma mère

my father and mother

Repeat before every noun.

The Body Takes an Article, Not a Possessive

When a reflexive pronoun or the subject already identifies the owner, French switches to le, la, or les. Using a possessive as well makes the body part sound strangely detached.

Je me lave les mains.

I'm washing my hands.

Reflexive verb → definite article.

Common Mistakes with Possessive Adjectives Singular Possessors

Incorrect: ma amie — my friend

Correct: mon amie — my friend

Amie is feminine, but a vowel follows, so French switches to mon for the sound. The word remains feminine, as any adjective will show: mon amie est venue.

Incorrect: sa livre — his book

Correct: son livre — his book

Livre is masculine, so the possessive is masculine too, whoever owns the book. Choosing sa because the owner is a woman is the classic English-speaker reflex.

Incorrect: Il a lavé ses mains. — He washed his hands.

Correct: Il s'est lavé les mains. — He washed his hands.

Body parts take a definite article once a reflexive pronoun has identified the owner. The reflexive also pulls the verb into être in the passé composé.

Incorrect: mon père et mère — my father and mother

Correct: mon père et ma mère — my father and mother

A French determiner can't be shared across two nouns. Each noun needs its own, and each takes the form its own gender requires.

Three Situations That Need a Second Look

The vowel rule, the ambiguity of son, and the pronoun forms all cause predictable trouble.

Mon before a feminine noun

Feminine nouns beginning with a vowel or a mute h take the masculine-looking form, but nothing else about them changes.

mon adresse: my address
ton histoire est incroyable: your story is incredible
son ancienne école: his/her old school
mon habitude: my habit

Watch the adjective: mon ancienne école keeps the feminine ancienne, which proves the noun's gender hasn't shifted.

Clearing up who owns it

Where English distinguishes his from her automatically, French has to add something. À lui and à elle after the noun do the job without sounding heavy.

sa maison à elle: her house (as opposed to his)
son point de vue à lui: his point of view
C'est sa décision à elle.: It's her decision.

Most of the time French speakers don't bother, because the surrounding sentence already makes it clear.

The matching pronouns

Drop the noun and the possessive becomes a pronoun with an article: le mien, la tienne, les siens. These agree with the noun they replace, on exactly the same principle.

Ce n'est pas mon sac, c'est le tien.: That isn't my bag, it's yours.
Ma voiture est plus vieille que la sienne.: My car is older than his.
Tes idées et les miennes se ressemblent.: Your ideas and mine are alike.

In speech, c'est à toi is often preferred to c'est le tien when you're simply claiming ownership.

Possessive Adjectives Singular Possessors FAQs

Does sa mean his or her in French?: Both. Sa is chosen because the noun after it is feminine singular, not because the owner is female. Sa voiture is his car or her car, and only the context tells you which. If you must specify, say sa voiture à elle.
Why is it mon amie and not ma amie?: Because French avoids a vowel clash between the possessive and the noun. Any feminine noun beginning with a vowel or a mute h takes mon, ton, or son: mon amie, ton histoire, son école. The noun stays feminine throughout.
When do you use ton rather than votre?: Ton goes with anyone you address as tu — friends, family, children, colleagues you're close to. Votre goes with vous, whether that's a group or one person you're being formal with. Mixing them inside a sentence is immediately noticeable.
How do you say its in French?: The same way as his and her: son, sa, ses. Le chien a perdu son collier, the dog lost its collar. French makes no distinction between people and things here, so there's one fewer choice to make than in English.
Why does French say j'ai mal à la tête rather than à ma tête?: The subject already identifies whose head it is, so the possessive adds nothing. French reserves the possessive for cases where ownership is genuinely in question or the body part is described: ses longs cheveux noirs.