Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| son | /sɔ̃/ /sɔ̃.n‿/ |
masculine |
| sa | /sa/ | feminine |
| ses | /sɛ/ /sɛ.z‿/ |
plural |
These forms are used as possessive adjectives to indicate that something belongs to him. While the English word "his" focuses on the owner, the French forms focus on the gender and number of the item being possessed. Note that the abbreviation SIH (système d'information hospitalier) refers to a hospital information system.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends entirely on the noun that follows: son is used for masculine singular nouns, sa is used for feminine singular nouns and ses is used for all plural nouns regardless of their gender.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form son is used when the noun it modifies is masculine singular. The form sa is used when the noun it modifies is feminine singular. The form ses is used when the noun it modifies is plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɔ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid choosing the word based on the owner (him). Instead, you must choose the form that agrees with the gender and number of the object possessed.
Did you know?
- If a feminine singular noun begins with a vowel, such as 'école', you must use son instead of sa to avoid a clashing vowel sound.
- In French, using son, sa or ses can create total ambiguity about whether the owner is a man or a woman.
- The meaning of son as 'bran' comes from the Latin word for 'second', because bran is the result of a second sifting of flour.
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
- Son livreHis book
- Sa maisonHis house
- Ses amisHis friends
- Son véloHis bike
- Sa voitureHis car
- Ses livresHis books
- 10365 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking at a lost item in a park.
- NathanOù est son sac ?Where is his bag?
- EmmaJe ne sais pas.I don't know.
- NathanRegarde, son sac est là-bas.Look, his bag is over there.
- EmmaAh oui, il l'a oublié.Oh yes, he forgot it.
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.
