Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| ton m ta f tes | feminine, informal, masculine, plural |
| votre m or f vos | feminine, formal, masculine, plural |
The word "your" is used to indicate that something belongs to the person being spoken to. In French, the form you choose depends on two things: the relationship you have with the person you are addressing (informal or formal) and the gender and number of the object being owned.
Which one should you use?
The forms ton m ta f tes are used when addressing one person whom you know well or who is a child. In contrast, votre m or f vos is used when speaking to someone formally or when you are addressing a group of people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The forms ton m ta f tes are informal, while votre m or f vos is the formal way to say "your" in French.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the informal forms, the choice depends on the noun that follows: use ton before a masculine singular noun, ta before a feminine singular noun and tes before plural nouns. For the formal forms, votre is used for singular nouns (regardless of gender) and vos is used for plural nouns.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly select a form based on the gender of the owner, but the choice actually depends on the gender of the object owned. Additionally, if a feminine singular noun starts with a vowel or a silent 'h', you must use ton instead of ta for phonetic reasons, such as in the phrase Ton amie.
Did you know?
- Using ton instead of votre with a superior or a stranger can be perceived as a deliberate insult or an attempt to show dominance in France.
- While English uses 'your' for everyone, French speakers may switch from votre to ton mid-conversation to signal that a relationship has suddenly become more intimate.
- The word ton is a doublet, meaning the word for 'your' and the word for 'tone' or 'sound' look identical but come from completely different Latin roots.
Examples in context
- Votre maison est magnifique.Your house is beautiful.
- Puis-je prendre votre stylo ?May I borrow your pen?
- Ton chien est adorable !Your dog is adorable!
- J'aime bien ton style vestimentaire.I really like your clothing style.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “your” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries or, ta, tes, ton, vos, votre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
