son / sa / ses
Third-person Possessive Son, Sa, Ses
Use son (masculine), sa (feminine), or ses (plural) to say 'his', 'her', or 'its'. Unlike English, the choice depends on the gender of the object, not the owner.
How It Works
The third-person possessive adjectives are used when the owner is il (he), elle (she), on (one), or an object/entity (its).
1. Basic Agreement Rules:
- Son: Used before masculine singular nouns (his/her/its/one's).
- Sa: Used before feminine singular nouns (his/her/its/one's).
- Ses: Used before all plural nouns, regardless of gender (his/her/its/one's).
2. The Vowel Rule (Phonological Override):
If the word immediately following the possessive adjective starts with a vowel or a mute 'h', you must use son instead of sa. This prevents a 'clash' of vowel sounds.
Example: Son amie (his/her female friend) or son ancienne école (his/her old school).
3. Meaning and Context:
Because the adjective matches the object, you often need context to know if you are talking about 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
Marie cherche son chien. (Marie is looking for her dog.)
4. Note on 'On':
When on is used impersonally to mean 'one', use son/sa/ses. However, in informal French where on means 'we', speakers usually use notre/nos instead.
Examples (5)
- Il a perdu son sac.
He lost his bag.
Word by Word: He has lost his bag.
'Sac' is masculine singular, so we use 'son'.
- Elle adore sa nouvelle voiture.
She loves her new car.
Word by Word: She adores her new car.
'Voiture' is feminine singular, so we use 'sa'.
- On doit faire son devoir.
One must do one's duty.
Word by Word: One must do his/one's duty.
When using the impersonal 'on', the possessive 'son' translates to 'one's'.
- C'est son ancienne école.
It is his/her old school.
Word by Word: It is his/her old school.
Even though 'école' is feminine, we use 'son' because the word immediately following it ('ancienne') starts with a vowel.
- L'entreprise a augmenté sa production.
The company increased its production.
Word by Word: The company has increased its production.
Possessives are also used for 'its' when referring to objects or companies.
Common Mistakes
Choosing the possessive based on the owner's gender instead of the noun's gender.
Elle cherche son voiture.Elle cherche sa voiture.In French, the possessive must match the object (voiture - feminine), not the person who owns it (elle).
Using 'sa' before a word starting with a vowel.
C'est sa école.C'est son école.To avoid two vowels touching, 'son' is used before any singular word starting with a vowel or mute 'h', even if that word is feminine.
Using possessives for body parts when a reflexive verb is used.
Il lave ses mains.Il se lave les mains.French speakers usually use a definite article (les) and a reflexive pronoun (se) for body parts rather than a possessive adjective.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use son, sa, and ses correctly, you must understand that French possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the object being possessed, not the person who owns it. Familiarity with noun gender and the basic system of possessive adjectives (like mon/ma/mes) is necessary to apply this rule.
Related Patterns
- ton / ta / tesFamiliar Possessive Ton, Ta, Tes
These are the second-person informal equivalents (your) and follow the same agreement rules.
Level 1 - leur / leursThird-person Plural Possessive Leur, Leurs
Used when there are multiple owners (their), often confused with 'ses' (one owner, multiple items).
Level 1 - Two-gender noun system
Understanding noun gender is essential to choosing between son and sa.
Level 1 - Dropping a vowel before another vowel
The rule changing 'sa' to 'son' before a vowel is a form of phonological adjustment similar to elision.
Level 1 - Reflexive verbs with parts of the body
Explains why we often use 'les' instead of 'ses' when talking about one's own body.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice son / sa / ses in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes French lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
