Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| son | /sɔ̃/ /sɔ̃.n‿/ |
masculine |
| sa | /sa/ | feminine |
| ses | /sɛ/ /sɛ.z‿/ |
plural |
These words are possessive determiners used to indicate that something belongs to him. In French, the choice of word depends on the gender and number of the object possessed rather than the gender of the person who owns it.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the noun they modify: son is used for masculine singular nouns, sa is used for feminine singular nouns and ses is used for plural nouns of any gender.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The grammatical agreement in French follows the object being possessed. Use son when the object is masculine singular, sa when the object is feminine singular and ses when the objects are plural. This remains true regardless of whether the owner is male or female.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɔ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly choose the French possessive based on the gender of the owner. Instead, you must ensure the word agrees with the gender and number of the object being possessed.
Did you know?
- If a feminine singular noun begins with a vowel or a silent 'h', you must use son instead of sa to avoid a clashing sound.
- The word son is a homonym that can also mean 'sound' or 'bran', the byproduct of sifting flour.
- In French, referring to one's own body parts often uses the definite article le or la instead of son or sa.
Examples in context
- Il aime sa vie.He likes his life.This sentence shows the use of sa with a feminine singular noun.Tatoeba #11682189 by Amastan, translation #2858520 by Amastan
- Je veux sa tête.I want his head.Tatoeba #6048099 by Fabimoto, translation #6046870 by mailohilohi
- Dans sa gueule !In his face!Tatoeba #6563388 by sacredceltic, translation #6579445 by Eccles17
- Marc adore son chien.Marc loves his dog.
- Claire admire son nouvel appartement.Claire admires her new apartment.
- Marc adore sa maison.Marc loves his house.
- Pierre adore son vélo.Pierre loves his bike.
- Pierre adore sa voiture.Pierre loves his car.
- Pierre a invité son ami à la fête.Pierre invited his friend to the party.
- Luc adore son travail.Luc loves his job.
- Paul adore regarder son film préféré.Paul loves to watch his favorite movie.
- 10365 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are looking for Gabriel's brother in a park.
- GabrielTu vois son sac ?Do you see his bag?
- ChloéNon, je ne vois pas son sac.No, I do not see his bag.
- GabrielSon frère doit être proche.His brother must be nearby.
- ChloéRegarde, il est là-bas !Look, he is over there!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “his” translations and entries son, sa, ses, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sa, ses, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
