Showing Possession with 'de' in French
This section explains Showing Possession with 'de' in French. In French, possession is often expressed using the preposition de. This structure is used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something. It is equivalent to the English "’s" (e.g., Marie’s book or the book of Marie).
This construction is commonly used in everyday French and is essential for communicating possession accurately.
Possession with 'de'
To show possession, you use de followed by a noun or a name.
Structure:
- Noun + de + Noun (indicating possession)
Example:
- Le livre de Marie – Marie’s book (Literally: The book of Marie)
This construction is used when you want to say that something belongs to someone or is associated with someone.
Common Examples:
| French | English | Example Sentence in French | Translation in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le livre de Marie | Marie’s book | Le livre de Marie est sur la table. | Marie’s book is on the table. |
| La voiture de Paul | Paul’s car | La voiture de Paul est rouge. | Paul’s car is red. |
| La maison de mes parents | My parents’ house | La maison de mes parents est grande. | My parents’ house is big. |
| Les clés de la voiture | The car keys | J’ai trouvé les clés de la voiture. | I found the car keys. |
The Use of 'de' with Proper Nouns
When showing possession with names (proper nouns), you simply place de between the name and the object. There’s no need for an apostrophe (as in English).
Examples:
| French | English | Example Sentence in French | Translation in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le sac de Jean | Jean’s bag | Le sac de Jean est là. | Jean’s bag is there. |
| La fille de Marie | Marie’s daughter | La fille de Marie est gentille. | Marie’s daughter is kind. |
| Les parents de Marc | Marc’s parents | Les parents de Marc sont en vacances. | Marc’s parents are on holiday. |
| Le chat de Sophie | Sophie’s cat | Le chat de Sophie dort sur le canapé. | Sophie’s cat is sleeping on the sofa. |
The Use of 'de' with Plural Nouns
When showing possession with plural nouns, de is still used, but you need to be aware that the noun can refer to more than one person or thing.
Examples:
| French | English | Example Sentence in French | Translation in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les enfants de mes amis | My friends’ children | Les enfants de mes amis sont très drôles. | My friends’ children are very funny. |
| Les livres des élèves | The students’ books | Les livres des élèves sont sur les bureaux. | The students’ books are on the desks. |
| Les chaussures des filles | The girls’ shoes | Les chaussures des filles sont rouges. | The girls’ shoes are red. |
| Les opinions des professeurs | The teachers’ opinions | Les opinions des professeurs sont importantes. | The teachers’ opinions are important. |
Special Case: 'de' with 'Mon, Ma, Mes' (My)
In some cases, possession is shown with the possessive pronouns mon, ma, mes (my) instead of just using de. However, de can still be used in certain constructions.
For example:
- Le frère de ma mère – My mother’s brother
- Les amis de mon père – My father’s friends
Examples:
| French | English | Example Sentence in French | Translation in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le frère de ma sœur | My sister’s brother | Le frère de ma sœur est médecin. | My sister’s brother is a doctor. |
| Les enfants de mon oncle | My uncle’s children | Les enfants de mon oncle sont en vacances. | My uncle’s children are on holiday. |
| La voiture de mes parents | My parents’ car | La voiture de mes parents est vieille. | My parents’ car is old. |
Higher Tier: More Complex Sentences with 'de'
At the Higher Tier, you may be asked to use de in more complex sentence structures to show possession. This often involves combining de with relative clauses or expressing possession with more abstract or formal ideas.
Examples:
- Le livre de l’auteur que j’aime est passionnant.
- Translation: The book of the author I like is fascinating.
- Les opinions des personnes que j’ai rencontrées sont intéressantes.
- Translation: The opinions of the people I met are interesting.
- Le film de mon réalisateur préféré est sorti l’année dernière.
- Translation: The film of my favourite director was released last year.
Summary of Key Points:
- 'de' is used to show possession in French (like 's in English).
- For singular possession, use de + the name or noun (e.g., Le livre de Marie).
- For plural possession, de is used similarly (e.g., Les clés des enfants – The children’s keys).
- You can also use de with proper nouns (e.g., Le sac de Jean – Jean’s bag).
- In more complex sentences, you may need to use relative clauses with de (e.g., Les opinions des élèves – The opinions of the students).
By practising these constructions, you can become more confident in expressing possession in French, both in Foundation and Higher Tier contexts.
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