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Isn't the pronoun supposed to match the noun genre? If "image" is feminine shouldn't we use "ta"?

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2 Answers 2

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Ta is generally used for feminine nouns and ton for masculine nouns… but before a vowel sound, ta is never used. In French hiatuses are commonly avoided by resorting to elisions or other grammatical artifices.

Thus, “ton image”, pronounced /tɔ̃.n‿i.maʒə/, just like “ton idée”, “ton ubiquité”, “ton histoire”…

Similarly the possessive articles ma and sa become mon and son before vowel sounds.

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In addition to Stéphane's answer, I would say that it is very similar to the "n" in "an" before a noun in English.

You say "an action" or "an elevator" because it's easier to enunciate than "a action" or "a elevator".

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  • Euphonically, it's not just very similar, it is the same principle; otherwise, it's the cause of a horrible transgression on fundamental rules, that personnally I'd soon do away with ; who knows whether modifications of the possessives in a way similar to the modification of the English article wouldn't be a much happier choice : "mann", "tann", "sann". After all, we do have to say "[mon nimage]" ; is it not much less extravagant to say "[mann nimage]" from the poinnt of view of grammar ?
    – LPH
    Jan 28, 2019 at 17:42

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