le mien
/lə mjɛ̃/
The English phrase "my own" is expressed in French using the possessive pronoun le mien.
The phrase is used as a pronoun to refer to something that belongs to the speaker.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces. The available forms are le mien for masculine singular, la mienne for feminine singular, les miens for masculine plural and les miennes for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/lə mjɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In French, les miens is often used to refer to one's family or inner circle, similar to saying 'my kin' or 'my own people' in English.
- Using le mien in a sentence can sound overly formal in casual conversation, where French speakers prefer to repeat the noun with a possessive adjective.
- The word mien descends from the Latin meum, which was specifically the neuter form of the word for 'my'.
Examples in context
- C'est la mienne à moi que je t'ai montrée hier.It's my very own that I showed you yesterday.
- Ce vélo est le tien , hein ? Et le mien est là-bas.This bike is yours, right? And mine is over there.
- J'aime bien ta chemise. Je vais acheter la mienne demain.I really like your shirt. I'm going to buy one of my own tomorrow.
- C'est le mien.It is mine.
- Ce n'est pas ton livre, c'est le mien.This is not your book, it is mine.
- Je cherche mon sac, est-ce que c'est le mien ?I am looking for my bag, is it mine?
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are comparing their laptops.
- EmmaTon ordinateur est très rapide, Gabriel !Your computer is very fast, Gabriel!
- GabrielMerci Emma, et le tien ?Thanks Emma, and yours?
- EmmaLe mien est un peu lent aujourd'hui.Mine is a bit slow today.
- GabrielJe peux t'aider à le réparer.I can help you fix it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry le mien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries le, mien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
