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Lesson 24 of 240

New here? This is lesson 24 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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Whose is this in French

Sam is back at Café des Tilleuls with the mustard backpack still on his shoulder. Gaspard looks at it and asks if it is Sam's.

Sam holds the strap. A canvas tote sits by Gaspard's two chairs, and Odile watches from the zinc counter.

By the end, you'll ask whose something is, say it is yours or not, and point out that it is his.

The window table stays empty. Nobody sits there.

By the end of this lesson

Say whose something is and whether it is yours.

  • C'est à toi ?Is this yours?
  • C'est à moi.It's mine.
  • Ce n'est pas à moi.This isn't mine.
  • C'est à lui.It's his.
  • C'est à qui ?Whose is this?
  • C'est mon sac.It's my bag.

Scene — the backpack stays on

Same café on rue des Tilleuls. Sam still has the mustard backpack on one shoulder.

Gaspard sits at the table next to the window table, on two chairs, with a croissant and a café crème he has not finished.

Odile is at the zinc counter. A canvas tote sits by Gaspard's extra chair. The window table has its blank brass sign.

A wide morning café interior with Sam wearing a mustard backpack, Odile at the zinc, Gaspard on two chairs with an unfinished croissant and café crème, and a canvas tote by the extra chair.

Learn — yours, mine, his

Six short lines cover yours, mine, not mine, his, whose, and my bag.

You'll point at a bag and say who it belongs to.

  1. Gaspard turns from the two chairs and lifts an open palm toward the mustard backpack on Sam's shoulder.

    C'est à toi ?

    Is this yours?

    When to use it: Ask a friend if something is theirs.

    Learn it as one piece to ask if something is theirs.

    Say it: The t in C'est links into à.

  2. Sam holds the mustard backpack strap and gives a small nod of ownership.

    C'est à moi.

    It's mine.

    When to use it: Say this to claim that something is yours.

    Learn it as one piece when something is yours.

  3. Odile's open hand hovers over the canvas tote on the floor by Gaspard's extra chair.

    Ce n'est pas à moi.

    This isn't mine.

    When to use it: Say this when something is not yours.

    Learn it as one piece to say it is not yours.

    Say it: The e in ne drops, so you hear n'est.

  4. Over Sam's shoulder, Odile stands by the extra chair and points down at the canvas tote.

    C'est à lui.

    It's his.

    When to use it: Say this to point out that something belongs to him.

    Learn it as one piece for a man who owns it.

  5. From above, Sam bends toward the canvas tote with open palms and does not take it.

    C'est à qui ?

    Whose is this?

    When to use it: Ask this when you do not know who owns something.

    Learn it as one piece to ask who owns it.

  6. The empty window table sits unused while Odile, soft in the background, points toward Gaspard, who stays on two chairs with a full café crème.

    C'est mon sac.

    It's my bag.

    When to use it: Say this to name the bag as yours.

    Learn it as one piece for your own bag.

    Say it: The last c in sac is not silent.

Story — he points at the strap

Watch Gaspard point at the backpack on Sam's shoulder. Odile joins in from the counter.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Gaspard looks at the mustard backpack still on Sam's shoulder.
  2. GaspardBonjour.Hello.
  3. SamBonjour.Hello.
  4. GaspardPardon. C'est à toi ?Excuse me. Is this yours?
  5. SamC'est à moi.It's mine.
  6. SamC'est mon sac.It's my bag.
  7. GaspardMerci.Thank you.
  8. Odile looks at the canvas tote by Gaspard's extra chair.
  9. OdileC'est à qui ?Whose is this?
  10. SamCe n'est pas à moi.This isn't mine.
  11. OdileC'est à lui.It's his.
  12. Gaspard does not sit at the window table. His café crème stays full.

Practice — whose bag is it

Eleven quick exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    C'est à toi ?Drop the English here
    C'est à moi.Drop the English here
    C'est à lui.Drop the English here
    C'est à qui ?Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Gaspard points at the mustard backpack on your shoulder. Claim it.

  4. Fill the gap

    This isn't mine.

    Ce n'est ____ à moi.

  5. What does it mean?

    C'est à lui.

  6. Build the line

    It's my bag.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    You see a tote and do not know who owns it.

    C'est à ____ ?

  8. What does it mean?

    Pardon.

  9. What do you say?

    You turn to Gaspard. Ask him if the canvas tote by his chairs is his.

  10. What do you say?

    You walk into Café des Tilleuls in the morning. Odile looks at you from the counter.

  11. True or false?

    This means you're welcome.

Say it — say it is yours

Now you're Sam at the café with the backpack on your shoulder. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. GaspardBonjour.Hello.
  2. Sam (you)Check if the tote by his chairs is his.

    C'est à toi ?

    Is this yours?

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
C'est à toi ?Is this yours?
C'est à moi.It's mine.
Ce n'est pas à moi.This isn't mine.
C'est à lui.It's his.
C'est à qui ?Whose is this?
C'est mon sac.It's my bag.
Next: lesson 25Where is it

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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps yours and mine ready at the café.

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