Talking About Loss and Theft in French

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your belongings – like your phone, bag, or passport – and how to say if you’ve lost them or had them stolen. You’ll also learn how to use possessive adjectives such as mon, ma, mes and son, sa, ses.

Sentence Builder: Talking About Your Things

To say “I have…” in French, you use the verb avoir (to have).
To say “I’ve lost…” or “He’s lost…”, use the past tense avoir + perdu (to lose → perdre).

French	English
J’ai…	I have…
Il a…	He has…
Elle a…	She has…
J’ai perdu…	I’ve lost…
Il a perdu…	He’s lost…
Elle a perdu…	She’s lost…

Examples:

• J’ai un ordinateur et un portable. → I have a computer and a phone.
• J’ai perdu mon passeport. → I’ve lost my passport.
• Il a perdu son portefeuille. → He’s lost his wallet.
• Elle a perdu sa montre. → She’s lost her watch.

Talking About Theft

A very useful phrase to know when travelling is:

On m’a volé… → Someone stole my… / I’ve had my … stolen.

It literally means “one has stolen from me.”

Examples:

• On m’a volé mon sac à main. → Someone stole my handbag.
• On m’a volé mon portable. → My phone has been stolen.
• On m’a volé mes bijoux. → My jewellery has been stolen.

Tip: Use mon, ma, mes after On m’a volé… to say my.

Grammar Focus: Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives show who owns something.
In French, they agree with the noun, not the person.

English	Masculine noun	Feminine noun	Plural noun
my	mon	ma	mes
your (singular/informal)	ton	ta	tes
his/her	son	sa	ses

Examples:

• mon portable → my mobile phone (masculine noun)
• ma montre → my watch (feminine noun)
• mes bijoux → my jewels (plural noun)
• son sac à dos → his/her backpack
• sa bague → his/her ring
• ses clés → his/her keys

Grammar Tip: “Mon” before a Feminine Word Starting with a Vowel

If a feminine word begins with a vowel or silent “h”, you use mon instead of ma to make pronunciation easier.

✅ mon amie (not ma amie) → my (female) friend
✅ mon oreille → my ear
✅ mon alliance → my wedding ring

Useful Sentences and Phrases

• J’ai perdu mon parapluie. → I’ve lost my umbrella.
• Elle a perdu sa bague. → She’s lost her ring.
• On m’a volé mon porte-monnaie. → My purse has been stolen.
• Il a retrouvé son passeport. → He found his passport.
• Mes bijoux sont dans ma valise. → My jewellery is in my suitcase.

Grammar Tip: “Perdu” — The Past Participle of Perdre

• Perdre → to lose
• J’ai perdu → I’ve lost
• Il/Elle a perdu → He/She has lost

Perdu stays the same – it doesn’t change for gender or number because avoir is used as the auxiliary verb.

Try It Yourself

Provide the French for the following phrases.

Cultural Note

When reporting a loss or theft in France, you can say:

J’ai perdu mon passeport. → I’ve lost my passport.
On m’a volé mon sac. → My bag was stolen.

You’ll usually be asked to make a déclaration de perte (loss report) or a déclaration de vol (theft report) at a commissariat de police.

---