Lesson 7.02 Mon, ma, ou mes?

Possessive adjectives are used to show which item belongs to which person. Be sure to use the possessive adjective that matches the noun in gender and number. The possessive adjective replaces the indefinite article (un, un, des), as well as the definite article (le, la, les). Read, study, and listen to the possessive adjectives listed in the chart below.

Possessive Adjectives
Adjective	Masculine nouns (or) feminine nouns beginning with a vowel	Feminine Nouns	Plural Nouns
my	mon	ma	mes
your (singular)	ton	ta	tes
his / her	son	sa	ses

When choosing a possessive adjective, you must consider the gender and number of the object rather than the owner. For example:

• my mother = ma mère
• your mother = ta mère
• his mother = sa mère
• her mother = sa mère

Notice that his mother and her mother are expressed in the same way. This is because the word "mother" is feminine, so whether it is his mother or her mother, the French expression is sa mère.

When using ton, ta, or tes, you are speaking to one person in an informal manner. Examples include: your sister, your friend, and your classmate.

Here are some examples of possessive adjectives:

my shirt = ma chemise	chemise = feminine, singular
my shirts = mes chemises	chemises = plural
my umbrella = mon parapluie	parapluie = masculine, singular
my umbrellas = mes parapluies	parapluies = plural
your necklace = ton collier	collier = masculine, singular
your necklaces = tes colliers	colliers = plural
your ring = ta bague	bague = feminine, singular
your rings = tes bagues	bagues = plural
his tie = sa cravate	cravate = feminine, singular
her hat = son chapeau	chapeau = masculine, singular
his suit = son costume	costume = masculine, singular
her calculator = sa calculatrice	calculatrice = feminine, singular
her books = ses livres	livres = plural
his binders = ses classeurs	classeurs = plural

When using the second group of possessive adjectives (our, your, their), you do not have to worry about the gender of the noun. You only need to ask yourself if the noun is singular or plural. These possessive adjectives also replace the indefinite article (un, une, des), as well as the definite article (le, la, les). Read, study, and listen to the possessive adjectives listed in the chart below.

Possessive Adjectives (Plural)
	Singular Nouns	Plural Nouns
our	notre	nos
your (plural)	votre	vos
their	leur	leurs

Here are some examples of possessive adjectives (plural):

our grandmother = notre grand-mère	grand-mère = singular
our clothes = nos vêtements	vêtements = plural
your daughter = votre fille	fille = singular
your children = vos enfants	enfants = plural
their father = leur père	père = singular
their gloves = leurs gants	gants = plural

As you have learned, when using ton, ta, or tes, you are speaking to one person in an informal manner. Examples include your sister, your friend, or your classmate. However, when using votre or vos, you are speaking to one person in a formal manner or to a group of people. Examples include your principal (formal), your boss (formal), your siblings (plural), or your whole class (plural).

Water, Water, Water!

For Nîmes to become a thriving part of the Roman Empire, it needed to have a continuous source of fresh water that could meet the needs of a large city. Under the rule of Roman Emperor Augustus, it was decided that the engineers would look for a source of water that could be brought to Nîmes to support the growing population. The only possible conclusion was the natural spring of Eure near the city of Uzès, which is located about 21 miles north of Nîmes. However, getting the water to Nîmes was not an easy task.

Since the Roman engineers had to rely on gravity to get the water from Uzès to Nîmes, they were forced to use a longer route that would send the water on a winding, 31 mile path through the Cevennes Hills to its final destination in Nîmes. This would prove to be a monumental challenge, but the Roman engineers had the technology and know-how to get the job done.

The engineers understood that if the water was to make it to Nîmes, it would have to flow in a downward motion all the way to the city. Any uphill obstacle would stop the flow of the water. What the Romans needed was an aqueduct, which is a small canal on top of or inside the ground that carries water from the highest point to the lowest point. Fortunately, this concept was not new to the Romans, as they had built many aqueducts throughout the years. In the case of the new aqueduct, the highest point was Uzès, and the lowest was Nîmes. While surveying the path along which the aqueduct would be built, the Roman engineers discovered a problem - the Gardon River. This deep river gorge (or valley) posed a problem for the engineers. While it was easy to allow the aqueduct to flow down into the gorge, the engineers had to make the water flow back up to the other side of the gorge and continue its journey to Nîmes. We will find out how they accomplished this task in the next section.

This picture gives a glimpse into the Cevennes mountain landscape, through which the Roman aqueduct passed while transporting the water from Uzès to Nîmes.

The Cevennes Hills.

References

"Finding Nemo in Nîmes." Roman History in Provence's Nîmes by Rick Steves. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.

"Nimes City Guide." Nimes. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.

"Pont Du Gard." Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.

"Pont Du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)." - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.

"Site Du Pont Du Gard." Site Du Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.

The History of the Languedoc: Romans: The Pont Du Gard." The History of the Languedoc: The Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.