Showing Possession

French does not have the handy “apostrophe s” that English uses so freely to indicate possession. Whereas we might say in English, “This is Paul’s bicycle,” the French equivalent, “C’est la bicyclette de Paul,” translates as, “This is the bicycle of Paul.” This sounds awkward in English, but is perfectly acceptable in French. As you continue in your language studies, you will find many examples of phrases that sound just fine in one language but totally ridiculous in another. This is what makes language study so much fun, and human beings so interesting!

Here are some more examples:

le stylo de Marie = the pen of Mary = Mary’s pen
le livre de Papa = the book of Dad = Dad’s book
la voiture d’Annette = the car of Annette = Annette’s car

Notice that de is contracted when the person’s name starts with a vowel: la voiture d’Annette.

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