mon, ma, mos, mas

My

Level 1

Mon, ma, mos and mas mean my, and they match the thing owned.

How It Works

My has four forms. The form depends on the noun that follows, not on who is speaking.

NounFormExample
masculine singularmonmon paire (my father)
feminine singularmama maire (my mother)
masculine pluralmosmos amics (my friends)
feminine pluralmasmas amigas (my female friends)

Write it with no article in front: mon paire.

Before a feminine noun that starts with a vowel, mon is the usual form instead of ma: mon amiga (my friend, a woman).

Mas also means but. The rest of the sentence shows which one it is: mas amigas (my female friends) and Parli occitan, mas parli pas plan (I speak Occitan, but not well).

Examples (5)

  1. Mon paire es mètge.

    My father is a doctor.

    Mon goes with a masculine noun.

  2. Ma maire parla occitan.

    My mother speaks Occitan.

    Ma goes with a feminine noun.

  3. Mos amics son aicí.

    My friends are here.

    Mos goes with a masculine plural.

  4. Mas amigas demòran a Rodés.

    My female friends live in Rodez.

    Mas goes with a feminine plural.

  5. Mon amiga s'apèla Marta.

    My friend is called Marta.

    Mon before a feminine noun that starts with a vowel.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine form with a feminine noun

    Mon maire parla occitan.
    Ma maire parla occitan.

    Maire is feminine, so use ma.

  • Using the singular form with a plural noun

    Mon amics son aicí.
    Mos amics son aicí.

    With a plural noun, use mos.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mon, ma, mos, masLevel 1My

Learn This First

Mon, ma, mos and mas follow the thing owned, so the gender and the plural of nouns come first.

Words in This Pattern

mon