Why is "Choosing son/sa by the owner's gender (e.g. 'sa' because the owner is a girl)" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: In English 'his/her' agrees with the owner, so beginners copy that logic into French. How to avoid it: Always agree with the NOUN owned. Ask 'Is the thing masculine or feminine?' first. *Son vélo* (his/her bike) is masculine because *vélo* is masculine; *sa moto* (his/her motorbike) is feminine because *moto* is feminine. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Writing 'ma amie', 'ta école' or 'sa histoire' before a vowel" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: Learners apply the feminine form mechanically and miss the vowel-clash exception. How to avoid it: Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel/silent h, use mon/ton/son: *mon amie*, *ton école*, *son histoire*. The noun is still feminine, so later adjectives stay feminine. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Writing 'ce homme', 'ce arbre' or 'ce hôtel'" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: Learners default to *ce* for all masculine nouns and forget the vowel/silent-h exception. How to avoid it: Use *cet* before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel or silent h: *cet homme*, *cet arbre*, *cet hôtel*. Spoken aloud it matches *cette*, but the spelling differs. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Keeping the article: 'le mon livre' or 'la cette maison'" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: Learners add the possessive/demonstrative on top of the article instead of replacing it. How to avoid it: These adjectives REPLACE le/la/les. Say *mon livre* and *cette maison* with no extra article. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4

Why is "Inventing a separate word for 'that' (using cette for this, something else for that)" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: English has distinct words (this/that), so learners look for two French words. How to avoid it: Use the same demonstrative for both. Add -ci (this, here) or -là (that, there) on the noun only when you need to contrast: *cette robe-ci* vs *cette robe-là*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 2 (Reading) & Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Confusing leur and leurs (their)" a common mistake in Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives?

Why it happens: Both mean 'their', so learners pick one at random; the silent -s makes them sound identical. How to avoid it: Match the plural -s to the noun, not the owners: *leur maison* (one house) but *leurs maisons* (several). The number of owners never matters. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Core GrammarCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

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Possessive and demonstrative adjectives (mon/ma/mes, ce/cette/ces) — Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

A beginner-friendly guide to saying 'my, your, his/her' and 'this, that, these, those' in French — where the words agree with the noun, not the owner, and the one rule that trips up every English speaker. Master the small tables that unlock natural, accurate French across all four papers.

At a glance

Possessive adjectives mean my, your, his, her, our, their — e.g. mon livre (my book), ta sœur (your sister), nos amis (our friends).
Demonstrative adjectives mean this/that/these/those — there is just one family in French: ce, cet, cette, ces.
The golden rule: in French these words agree with the noun that follows, NOT with the person who owns it. Sa voiture = his car OR her car — French does not tell you which.
Possessives have three forms for the small words (mon/ma/mes) but one shared form for our/your-plural/their (notre/votre/leur + nos/vos/leurs).
Before a feminine word starting with a vowel, use mon/ton/son (not ma/ta/sa): mon amie (my female friend), never ma amie.
Demonstrative ce becomes cet before a masculine word starting with a vowel or silent h: cet homme (this man), cet arbre (this tree).
French has no separate words for 'this' vs 'that'; if you must be clear, add -ci (here) or -là (there): ce livre-ci (this book) vs ce livre-là (that book).
These adjectives replace the article (le/la/les) — you never say le mon livre; you say mon livre.

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 syllabus (2025-2027).

Recognise and use the possessive adjectives mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses, notre/nos, votre/vos, leur/leurs.
Understand that French possessives agree with the noun possessed, not with the possessor.
Apply the special rule that mon/ton/son are used before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel sound.
Recognise and use the demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, cette and ces.
Apply the special form cet before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel or silent h.
Distinguish 'this' from 'that' using the -ci and -là tags when needed.
Place possessive and demonstrative adjectives correctly, replacing the definite article, in connected speech and writing.

What these adjectives do — and the one big difference from English

Possessives say who owns something; demonstratives point at something. Both agree with the noun, not the owner.

Both of these little word families sit in front of a noun and replace the article (le / la / les). You never use them together with the article — say mon stylo (my pen), never le mon stylo.

Possessive adjectives answer whose? — my, your, his, her, our, their: mon père (my father), ta maison (your house), leurs enfants (their children).
Demonstrative adjectives answer which one? by pointing — this, that, these, those: ce train (this/that train), cette ville (this/that town), ces fleurs (these/those flowers).

The one rule that changes everything. In English, "his" and "her" tell you about the owner (a boy → his, a girl → her). In French, the possessive agrees with the thing owned, not the owner.

French	What it agrees with	Possible English
son livre	livre is masculine	his book or her book
sa voiture	voiture is feminine	his car or her car
ses amis	amis is plural	his friends or her friends

So sa mère (his/her mother) is feminine because mère (mother) is feminine — it does not mean the owner is female. This feels backwards to English speakers and is worth saying out loud a few times until it sticks.

Worked mini-example. "Paul loves his sister" → Paul aime sa sœur. We use sa (feminine) because sœur (sister) is feminine — even though the owner, Paul, is male. The owner's gender is irrelevant.

Possessives = whose (my, your, his…); demonstratives = which (this, that…).
Both replace the article — never le mon livre, just mon livre.
Possessives agree with the noun owned, not the owner.
son/sa/ses can each mean either 'his' or 'her' — French does not specify.

The possessive adjective table (my, your, his/her, our, your, their)

Singular owners (mon/ma/mes) have three forms; plural owners (notre/votre/leur) are simpler.

French possessive adjectives, organised by owner (rows) and by the noun owned (columns).

Here is the full set. Notice that the "singular owner" rows (my, your-tu, his/her) each have three forms, while the "plural owner" rows (our, your-vous, their) are simpler.

Owner	+ masculine noun	+ feminine noun	+ plural noun
my	mon	ma	mes
your (tu — informal)	ton	ta	tes
his / her / its	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (vous — formal/plural)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

Examples across the table:

French	English
mon frère	my brother
ma sœur	my sister
mes parents	my parents
ton chien	your dog
sa maison	his/her house
ses livres	his/her books
notre école	our school
nos professeurs	our teachers
votre adresse	your address
leur voiture	their car
leurs enfants	their children

A common confusion: leur vs leurs. Both mean their. Use leur with one thing, leurs with more than one thing: leur maison (their house — one house shared) vs leurs maisons (their houses — several).

Worked mini-example. "Our parents love their children" → Nos parents aiment leurs enfants. — nos because parents is plural; leurs because enfants is plural.

mon/ma/mes (my), ton/ta/tes (your-tu), son/sa/ses (his/her).
notre/nos (our), votre/vos (your-vous), leur/leurs (their).
notre, votre and leur do not change for gender — only the plural does (nos, vos, leurs).
leur = their + one thing; leurs = their + several things.

The vowel rule — why we say mon amie, not ma amie

Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel sound, swap ma/ta/sa for mon/ton/son.

French hates two vowel sounds bumping together, so it has a neat fix for possessives. Before a feminine noun that begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a silent h, you use the masculine-looking forms mon, ton, son instead of ma, ta, sa.

This is purely about sound — it stops the awkward "ma-amie" clash. The noun is still feminine; only the possessive word changes shape.

Feminine noun	Wrong	Correct	English
amie (female friend)	~~ma amie~~	mon amie	my (female) friend
école (school)	~~ta école~~	ton école	your school
histoire (story)	~~sa histoire~~	son histoire	his/her story
adresse (address)	~~ma adresse~~	mon adresse	my address
heure (hour)	~~sa heure~~	son heure	his/her hour

So mon amie (my female friend) and mon ami (my male friend) look identical in writing — context tells you the gender. The same trick happens with the article: une amie but you still say mon amie.

Important limit on the rule. It only applies to single nouns starting with a vowel sound. If an adjective starting with a consonant comes between, you go back to ma/ta/sa: ma petite amie (my girlfriend), because petite starts with a consonant.

Worked mini-example. "His school is big" → Son école est grande. We need son (not sa) because école (school, feminine) starts with a vowel. The feminine still shows in the adjective grande.

Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel/silent h, use mon/ton/son (not ma/ta/sa).
It is a sound rule, not a gender change — the noun stays feminine.
mon amie (female friend) and mon ami (male friend) look the same in writing.
If a consonant-initial adjective comes between, revert: ma petite amie.

Demonstrative adjectives — ce, cet, cette, ces (this/that/these/those)

One French family covers this/that/these/those; the form depends only on gender, number and the first sound.

A four-step decision tree for choosing ce, cet, cette or ces.

In English we have four pointing words (this, that, these, those). French has just one family with four forms, chosen by gender, number and first sound:

Form	Used for	Example	English
ce	masculine singular (consonant start)	ce garçon	this/that boy
cet	masculine singular (vowel / silent h start)	cet homme, cet arbre	this/that man, this/that tree
cette	feminine singular	cette fille	this/that girl
ces	all plurals (masc. + fem.)	ces enfants	these/those children

A few more examples:

French	English
ce livre	this/that book
cet hôtel	this/that hotel
cet ami	this/that (male) friend
cette voiture	this/that car
cette école	this/that school
ces chaussures	these/those shoes
ces hommes	these/those men

Watch the cet / cette sound. Spoken aloud, cet (before a vowel) and cette (feminine) sound almost identical — both "set". The difference is only visible in writing and in the noun's gender. Cet ami (masculine friend) vs cette amie (feminine friend) sound the same but are spelled differently.

Worked mini-example. Choose the demonstrative for arbre (tree, masculine). It is singular, masculine, and starts with a vowel → cet. So "this tree is tall" = Cet arbre est grand.

ce (masc. consonant), cet (masc. vowel/silent h), cette (fem.), ces (all plurals).
One French family covers this, that, these and those.
cet and cette sound the same ('set') but differ in spelling and gender.
Use cet (not ce) before homme, ami, arbre, hôtel, étudiant.

Making 'this' vs 'that' clear — adding -ci and -là

French rarely distinguishes this from that; add -ci (here) or -là (there) on the noun when you must.

Most of the time, French does not bother to separate "this" from "that" — ce livre can mean either, and context makes it clear. This surprises English speakers, but it is genuinely how French works day to day.

When you really need to point out a contrast — this one here versus that one there — you tack a little tag onto the noun (with a hyphen):

-ci = "here" → this (close to you)
-là = "there" → that (further away)

French	English
ce livre-ci	this book (here)
ce livre-là	that book (there)
cette maison-ci	this house
cette maison-là	that house
ces fleurs-ci	these flowers
ces fleurs-là	those flowers

Notice the demonstrative word (ce, cette, ces) does not change — you simply add -ci or -là to the noun. The accent on là (accent grave) is required: là (there) differs from la (the).

Worked mini-example. A shop assistant asks which dress you want. You point: Je préfère cette robe-ci, pas cette robe-là. (I prefer this dress, not that dress.) Same word cette both times; the tags do the pointing.

French usually leaves this/that ambiguous — ce livre = this or that book.
Add -ci (here = this) or -là (there = that) to the noun for contrast.
The demonstrative (ce/cette/ces) stays the same; only the noun gets the tag.
Write the accent: -là (there), not -la (the).

Putting it all together — position, articles and agreement

These adjectives go before the noun, replace the article, and agree with the noun in gender and number.

Now let's combine the rules into reliable habits.

1. They go directly before the noun and replace the article. You never keep le/la/les when you use a possessive or demonstrative:

le livre → mon livre / ce livre (NOT le mon livre, NOT le ce livre).
la voiture → sa voiture / cette voiture.

2. They agree with the noun, in gender and number. Always ask: Is the noun masculine or feminine? Singular or plural? Then pick the form:

Step	Question	Then choose
1	Singular or plural?	plural → mes/tes/ses/nos/vos/leurs or ces
2	If singular: masculine or feminine?	feminine → ma/ta/sa or cette
3	Vowel-start exception?	fem.+vowel → mon/ton/son; masc.+vowel → cet

3. Each noun usually needs its own adjective. Unlike English ("my pen and notebook"), French normally repeats the possessive for each noun: mon stylo et mon cahier (my pen and my notebook), ma mère et mon père (my mother and my father).

A short connected example. Voici ma chambre. Mon lit est près de la fenêtre, et mes livres sont sur cette étagère. J'aime beaucoup cet appartement. (Here is my room. My bed is near the window, and my books are on this shelf. I really like this apartment.)

ma chambre — chambre feminine → ma.
mon lit — lit masculine → mon.
mes livres — plural → mes.
cette étagère — étagère feminine singular → cette.
cet appartement — appartement masculine, vowel start → cet.

Worked mini-example. Translate "I love my parents and this town." → J'aime mes parents et cette ville. — mes (parents is plural), cette (ville is feminine singular). The article disappears entirely.

Possessives/demonstratives go before the noun and replace le/la/les.
Decide form by: plural? then feminine? then vowel-start exception?
Repeat the adjective for each noun: mon père et ma mère.
Always confirm the noun's gender and number first.

How it’s examined

Possessive and demonstrative adjectives appear constantly across all four papers of Cambridge IGCSE French 0520, because they are needed to talk about family, possessions, school and surroundings.

Paper 1 (Listening): You must catch son vs sa vs ses and ce vs ces to know what someone owns and how many. The plural -s is silent, so listen for liaison (ses‿amis = say-za-MEE) and the article context to tell singular from plural.
Paper 2 (Reading): Recognising that sa mère could be 'his mother' or 'her mother' prevents wrong inferences about who is who. Demonstratives often signal which item a question refers to (ce produit, cette offre).
Paper 3 (Speaking): Describing your family, room or town requires accurate possessives. Use votre/vos with the examiner (formal) and produce cet correctly before vowels.
Paper 4 (Writing): Agreement accuracy is directly assessed. Common penalised errors are ma amie (should be mon amie), choosing son/sa by the owner's gender, and ce homme (should be cet homme). Consistent correct agreement raises the accuracy band.

Examiner reports for 0520 repeatedly note that candidates lose accuracy marks by making the possessive agree with the owner rather than the noun, and by omitting the mon/ton/son-before-vowel and cet-before-vowel rules.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Paper 2 (Reading) & Paper 4 (Writing) Specimen 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

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Worked examples, formulae, definitions and the mistakes examiners flag — everything you need to push from a pass to an A*.

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Step-by-step worked examples — Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on possessive and demonstrative adjectives, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Choose the right form of 'my': mon, ma or mes?
Getting started
Question
Complete with the correct form of 'my': '___ frère' (brother, masc.), '___ sœur' (sister, fem.), '___ parents' (parents, plural).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Check each noun's gender and number. frère = masculine singular; sœur = feminine singular; parents = plural.
2. Step 2
  Match the form to the noun (not to yourself). Masculine singular → mon; feminine singular → ma; plural → mes.
3. Step 3
  Write them out: mon frère, ma sœur, mes parents.
Answer
mon frère (my brother), ma sœur (my sister), mes parents (my parents).
Examiner tip
The form depends only on the noun. Many candidates wrongly think 'my' changes with who is speaking — it does not. Lock in the trio mon (masc.) / ma (fem.) / mes (plural) first; the same pattern repeats for ton/ta/tes and son/sa/ses.
2His or her? Why son and sa do not tell you the owner
Building confidence
Question
Translate, then explain the choice: 'Marie loves her dog (chien, masc.)' and 'Marie loves her car (voiture, fem.).'
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Ignore the owner's gender. It does not matter that Marie is female — French agrees with the noun owned.
2. Step 2
  chien is masculine → use son: son chien. (Son here means 'her', even though it looks masculine, because chien is masculine.)
3. Step 3
  voiture is feminine → use sa: sa voiture.
4. Step 4
  Assemble the sentences with the verb aimer (to love): Marie aime son chien. / Marie aime sa voiture.
Answer
Marie aime son chien. (her dog — son because chien is masculine.) Marie aime sa voiture. (her car — sa because voiture is feminine.)
Examiner tip
This is the single most-tested point in this topic. son/sa/ses agree with the THING, not the person. Son chien can be 'his dog' or 'her dog' — French never specifies. Choosing sa just because the owner is female is the classic error flagged in 0520 examiner reports.
3Apply the vowel rule: mon amie, not ma amie
Building confidence
Question
Fill the gap with the correct possessive: '___ amie est gentille' (my friend, female, is kind) and '___ école est grande' (his/her school is big).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Identify the nouns. amie (female friend) is feminine; école (school) is feminine. Both start with a vowel.
2. Step 2
  Apply the vowel rule. Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, swap ma/sa for mon/son to avoid two vowels clashing.
3. Step 3
  Keep the rest feminine. The noun stays feminine, so the adjective agrees: gentille (kind, fem.), grande (big, fem.).
Answer
Mon amie est gentille. (my female friend is kind) / Son école est grande. (his/her school is big.) Both use mon/son before a feminine vowel-noun.
Examiner tip
The vowel rule (ma/ta/sa → mon/ton/son before a vowel sound) is a frequent accuracy gain. Note that mon amie still refers to a female and the rest of the sentence stays feminine (gentille). Writing ma amie is penalised as an agreement/spelling error in Paper 4.
4Choose ce, cet, cette or ces
Building confidence
Question
Add the right demonstrative: '___ garçon' (boy), '___ homme' (man), '___ fille' (girl), '___ enfants' (children).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  garçon — masculine singular, starts with a consonant → ce garçon.
2. Step 2
  homme — masculine singular, but starts with a silent h (vowel sound) → use cet homme.
3. Step 3
  fille — feminine singular → cette fille.
4. Step 4
  enfants — plural → ces enfants (ces covers both genders in the plural).
Answer
ce garçon, cet homme, cette fille, ces enfants.
Examiner tip
Use the decision tree: plural → ces; else feminine → cette; else masculine + vowel/silent h → cet; else ce. The trap word here is homme — its silent h means you need cet, not ce. cet and cette sound the same, so the spelling must be right on paper.
5Show 'this' versus 'that' with -ci and -là
Stretch
Question
In a shop you want to contrast two dresses. Express 'I prefer this dress, not that dress' (robe = dress, feminine).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Pick the demonstrative once. robe is feminine singular → cette for both 'this' and 'that'. French uses the same word.
2. Step 2
  Add the pointing tags to the noun. -ci (here) = this; -là (there) = that. Remember the accent grave on -là.
3. Step 3
  Build with préférer (to prefer): Je préfère cette robe-ci, pas cette robe-là.
Answer
Je préfère cette robe-ci, pas cette robe-là. (I prefer this dress, not that dress.) Same cette; the tags -ci / -là do the pointing.
Examiner tip
There is no separate French word for 'that'. Candidates who invent one lose marks. Use one demonstrative and, only when a contrast is genuinely needed, attach -ci/-là to the noun. Note là keeps its accent grave to stay distinct from la (the).

Model Answers — Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

High-scoring sample answers for possessive and demonstrative adjectives on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Describe your family in two or three sentences, using possessive adjectives.
Model answer
Voici ma famille. (Here is my family.) Mon père s'appelle Thomas et ma mère s'appelle Sophie. (My father is called Thomas and my mother is called Sophie.) J'ai un frère et une sœur ; mes grands-parents habitent près de chez nous, et notre maison est petite mais confortable. (I have a brother and a sister; my grandparents live near us, and our house is small but comfortable.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. Every possessive agrees with its noun: ma famille / ma mère (fem.), mon père (masc.), mes grands-parents (plural), notre maison (one shared house). The candidate correctly repeats the possessive for each noun rather than dropping it. Accurate, varied agreement across one piece is exactly what the Paper 4 accuracy band rewards.
Question 2
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Describe your bedroom using demonstrative and possessive adjectives together.
Model answer
Dans ma chambre, mon lit est près de la fenêtre. (In my room, my bed is near the window.) J'aime beaucoup cette chambre parce que mes affaires sont bien rangées. (I really like this room because my things are tidy.) Cet ordinateur sur le bureau est à moi, et ces photos sont mes amis. (This computer on the desk is mine, and these photos are my friends.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It blends possessives (ma chambre, mon lit, mes affaires, mes amis) with demonstratives (cette chambre, cet ordinateur, ces photos) — all agreeing correctly. The standout is cet ordinateur: the masculine vowel-start noun forces cet, not ce. This shows control of the vowel-clash rules examiners look for.
Question 3
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. The examiner asks about your school: Parlez-moi de votre école. (Tell me about your school.) Give a short model answer.
Model answer
Mon école est assez grande. (My school is quite big.) J'aime mes professeurs et mes camarades de classe. (I like my teachers and my classmates.) Cette année, ma matière préférée est le français, et notre prof de français est très gentille. (This year, my favourite subject is French, and our French teacher is very kind.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. The candidate replies to the formal votre using their own possessives (mon école, mes professeurs, ma matière, notre prof) with correct agreement, and uses the demonstrative cette année (this year) naturally. Note mon école (vowel rule) and the feminine gentille agreeing with prof understood as feminine. Natural, accurate possessives lift the fluency and accuracy marks.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for possessive and demonstrative adjectives answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

mon / ma / mes (my)
Examiner keyword
The possessive adjective 'my': mon before masculine singular nouns, ma before feminine singular, mes before any plural.
Example
mon frère (my brother), ma sœur (my sister), mes parents (my parents).
ton / ta / tes (your, informal)
The informal 'your', used with someone you address as tu. Same pattern as mon/ma/mes.
Example
ton chien (your dog), ta maison (your house), tes amis (your friends).
son / sa / ses (his / her / its)
Examiner keyword
The possessive for a single owner. It agrees with the NOUN owned, not the owner, so each form can mean 'his' or 'her'.
Example
son livre (his/her book), sa voiture (his/her car), ses amis (his/her friends).
notre / nos (our)
Examiner keyword
The possessive 'our': notre for any singular noun (both genders), nos for any plural noun.
Example
notre école (our school), nos professeurs (our teachers).
votre / vos (your, formal/plural)
The formal or plural 'your', used with vous: votre for any singular noun, vos for any plural.
Example
votre adresse (your address), vos enfants (your children).
leur / leurs (their)
Examiner keyword
The possessive 'their': leur with one thing owned, leurs with more than one. No gender change.
Example
leur maison (their house), leurs voitures (their cars).
mon / ton / son + vowel rule
Examiner keyword
Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel or silent h, use mon/ton/son (not ma/ta/sa) to avoid a vowel clash.
Example
mon amie (my female friend), ton école (your school), son histoire (his/her story).
ce / cet / cette / ces (this/that/these/those)
Examiner keyword
The demonstrative adjective family: ce (masc.), cet (masc. before a vowel/silent h), cette (fem.), ces (all plurals).
Example
ce livre, cet homme, cette voiture, ces enfants.
-ci / -là (this here / that there)
Tags added to the noun to contrast 'this' (-ci, here) with 'that' (-là, there), since French has no separate word for that.
Example
ce livre-ci (this book) vs ce livre-là (that book).
Agreement (accord)
The rule that the adjective changes form to match the noun's gender and number. Possessives/demonstratives match the noun, not the owner.
Example
sa mère (his/her mother) is feminine because mère is feminine, regardless of the owner.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

The traps other students keep falling into on possessive and demonstrative adjectives questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Choosing son/sa by the owner's gender (e.g. 'sa' because the owner is a girl)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
In English 'his/her' agrees with the owner, so beginners copy that logic into French.
How to avoid it
Always agree with the NOUN owned. Ask 'Is the thing masculine or feminine?' first. Son vélo (his/her bike) is masculine because vélo is masculine; sa moto (his/her motorbike) is feminine because moto is feminine.
✕Writing 'ma amie', 'ta école' or 'sa histoire' before a vowel
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners apply the feminine form mechanically and miss the vowel-clash exception.
How to avoid it
Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel/silent h, use mon/ton/son: mon amie, ton école, son histoire. The noun is still feminine, so later adjectives stay feminine.
✕Writing 'ce homme', 'ce arbre' or 'ce hôtel'
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners default to ce for all masculine nouns and forget the vowel/silent-h exception.
How to avoid it
Use cet before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel or silent h: cet homme, cet arbre, cet hôtel. Spoken aloud it matches cette, but the spelling differs.
✕Keeping the article: 'le mon livre' or 'la cette maison'
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4
Why it happens
Learners add the possessive/demonstrative on top of the article instead of replacing it.
How to avoid it
These adjectives REPLACE le/la/les. Say mon livre and cette maison with no extra article.
✕Inventing a separate word for 'that' (using cette for this, something else for that)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 2 (Reading) & Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
English has distinct words (this/that), so learners look for two French words.
How to avoid it
Use the same demonstrative for both. Add -ci (this, here) or -là (that, there) on the noun only when you need to contrast: cette robe-ci vs cette robe-là.
✕Confusing leur and leurs (their)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Both mean 'their', so learners pick one at random; the silent -s makes them sound identical.
How to avoid it
Match the plural -s to the noun, not the owners: leur maison (one house) but leurs maisons (several). The number of owners never matters.

Past paper style quiz

Get a report showing which sub-topics you've nailed and which ones still need work.

French

What it agrees with

Possible English

son livre

livre is masculine

his book or her book

sa voiture

voiture is feminine

his car or her car

ses amis

amis is plural

his friends or her friends

Owner

+ masculine noun

+ feminine noun

+ plural noun

mon

mes

your (tu — informal)

ton

tes

his / her / its

son

ses

our

notre

nos

your (vous — formal/plural)

votre

vos

their

leur

leurs

French

English

mon frère

my brother

ma sœur

my sister

mes parents

my parents

ton chien

your dog

sa maison

his/her house

ses livres

his/her books

notre école

our school

nos professeurs

our teachers

votre adresse

your address

leur voiture

their car

leurs enfants

their children

Feminine noun

Wrong

Correct

English

amie (female friend)

~~ma amie~~

mon amie

my (female) friend

école (school)

~~ta école~~

ton école

your school

histoire (story)

~~sa histoire~~

son histoire

his/her story

adresse (address)

~~ma adresse~~

mon adresse

my address

heure (hour)

~~sa heure~~

son heure

his/her hour

Form

Used for

Example

English

masculine singular (consonant start)

ce garçon

this/that boy

cet

masculine singular (vowel / silent h start)

cet homme, cet arbre

this/that man, this/that tree

cette

feminine singular

cette fille

this/that girl

ces

all plurals (masc. + fem.)

ces enfants

these/those children

French

English

ce livre

this/that book

cet hôtel

this/that hotel

cet ami

this/that (male) friend

cette voiture

this/that car

cette école

this/that school

ces chaussures

these/those shoes

ces hommes

these/those men

French

English

ce livre-ci

this book (here)

ce livre-là

that book (there)

cette maison-ci

this house

cette maison-là

that house

ces fleurs-ci

these flowers

ces fleurs-là

those flowers

Step

Question

Then choose

Singular or plural?

plural → mes/tes/ses/nos/vos/leurs or ces

If singular: masculine or feminine?

feminine → ma/ta/sa or cette

Vowel-start exception?

fem.+vowel → mon/ton/son; masc.+vowel → cet

Possessive and demonstrative adjectives appear constantly across all four papers of Cambridge IGCSE French 0520, because they are needed to talk about family, possessions, school and surroundings.

Paper 1 (Listening): You must catch son vs sa vs ses and ce vs ces to know what someone owns and how many. The plural -s is silent, so listen for liaison (ses‿amis = say-za-MEE) and the article context to tell singular from plural.
Paper 2 (Reading): Recognising that sa mère could be 'his mother' or 'her mother' prevents wrong inferences about who is who. Demonstratives often signal which item a question refers to (ce produit, cette offre).
Paper 3 (Speaking): Describing your family, room or town requires accurate possessives. Use votre/vos with the examiner (formal) and produce cet correctly before vowels.
Paper 4 (Writing): Agreement accuracy is directly assessed. Common penalised errors are ma amie (should be mon amie), choosing son/sa by the owner's gender, and ce homme (should be cet homme). Consistent correct agreement raises the accuracy band.

Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Choose the right form of 'my': mon, ma or mes?

2His or her? Why son and sa do not tell you the owner

3Apply the vowel rule: mon amie, not ma amie

4Choose ce, cet, cette or ces

5Show 'this' versus 'that' with -ci and -là

mon / ma / mes (my)

ton / ta / tes (your, informal)

son / sa / ses (his / her / its)

notre / nos (our)

votre / vos (your, formal/plural)

leur / leurs (their)

mon / ton / son + vowel rule

ce / cet / cette / ces (this/that/these/those)

-ci / -là (this here / that there)

Agreement (accord)

✕Choosing son/sa by the owner's gender (e.g. 'sa' because the owner is a girl)

✕Writing 'ma amie', 'ta école' or 'sa histoire' before a vowel

✕Writing 'ce homme', 'ce arbre' or 'ce hôtel'

✕Keeping the article: 'le mon livre' or 'la cette maison'

✕Inventing a separate word for 'that' (using cette for this, something else for that)

✕Confusing leur and leurs (their)

Past paper style quiz

Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Choose the right form of 'my': mon, ma or mes?

2His or her? Why son and sa do not tell you the owner

3Apply the vowel rule: mon amie, not ma amie

4Choose ce, cet, cette or ces

5Show 'this' versus 'that' with -ci and -là

mon / ma / mes (my)

ton / ta / tes (your, informal)

son / sa / ses (his / her / its)

notre / nos (our)

votre / vos (your, formal/plural)

leur / leurs (their)

mon / ton / son + vowel rule

ce / cet / cette / ces (this/that/these/those)

-ci / -là (this here / that there)

Agreement (accord)

✕Choosing son/sa by the owner's gender (e.g. 'sa' because the owner is a girl)

✕Writing 'ma amie', 'ta école' or 'sa histoire' before a vowel

✕Writing 'ce homme', 'ce arbre' or 'ce hôtel'

✕Keeping the article: 'le mon livre' or 'la cette maison'

✕Inventing a separate word for 'that' (using cette for this, something else for that)

✕Confusing leur and leurs (their)

Past paper style quiz