PARTS OF THE BODY
DEFINITE ARTICLES VS. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

French uses definite articles (le, la, l', les) as well as possessive adjectives
(mon, ton, etc.) to qualify parts of the body, where English only uses possessive
adjectives (his, her, their). In French, the challenge resides in knowing when to use a definite article or a possessive adjective.

to copy explanation
A. If the part of the body is the subject of the verb, French uses a
possessive adjective:

Example: Ses cheveux tombent en cascade.

But: The French avoid using the possessive adjective as subject of the
verb "être," preferring to make the body part the object of "avoir" or of a preposition following "avoir" (see B4 and B5 below):

Example:
1) Her hair is black = Elle a les cheuveux noirs.
2) Her feet are cold = Elle a froid aux pieds.

Exercises. Translate: Click for vocabulary help
1. His legs tire quickly.

2. Their hearts beat rapidly.

3. His arms are dirty.

4. My feet hurt.

B. If the body part is the object of verb or a preposition,
use a definite article if it is clear to whom the body part belongs.
This occurs:

1. when the body part is the direct object of a non-pronominal verb and this
verb expresses a common or typical action that the subject performs with
his or her own body:

Examples:
1) Elle a haussé les épaules;
2) Il tend (serre) la main;
3) Nous avons élevé la voix.

See also:
hocher la tête; cligner de l'oeil; baisser/lever les yeux,
la tête, etc; élever la voix; perdre la tête; montrer du
doigt; avancer le pied; recouvrir la vue;

But: If the action is not common or typical, French prefers the
possessive adjective:

Examples:
1) Elle a posé sa tête sur le lit.
2) Il a mis son doigt sur sa bouche.

Exercises: Click for vocabulary help
1. You will shake your head.

2. They raised their eyes towards the ceiling.

3. She put her hand in the doctor's (uncommon action).

2. when the body part is the direct object of a pronominal verb which expresses an action that one performs on oneself:

Examples:
1) Tu t'es coupé le doigt;
2) Elle s'est brossé les cheuveux.

See also:
se casser le bras (etc.); se brûler le doigt (etc.);
se couper les ongles (etc.); se peigner les cheveux;
se tordre la cheville; se faire mal au genou.

Note: The pronominal pronoun here is an indirect object. As a result,
the past particle does not agree with it.

3. when the action is performed upon someone else's body and this other person is signified by an indirect object or a prepositional phrase:

Examples:
1) Elle lui a tiré les cheveux.
2) Le docteur a soigné le bras de Pierre.

Exercises: Click for vocabulary help
1. He burned his foot.

2. I hurt my finger.

3. She twisted her neck.

4. Her mother brushed her hair.

4. when the body part is the object of the preposition "à" in
expressions that signify sensations, such as "avoir chaud à" and
"avoir mal à":

Examples:
1) Il a froid aux mains;
2) Nous avons mal à l'estomac.

5. when the body part is the direct object of the verb "avoir" and
constitutes a physical or mental description of the subject:

Examples:
1) Les hommes ont les yeux bruns;
2) Pierre a les bras musclés.
3) Nous avons l'esprit large.

Note 1: English speakers would say "His arms are strong,"
making the body part the subject of the sentence.
The French could say "Les bras de Pierre sont musclés,"
since they strongly prefer to make the body part
the direct object: "Il a les bras musclés."

But:
a) When, after "avoir," the adjective precedes the verb or when the adjective
or adjectives are unusual or unexpected, French uses the indefinite article:

Examples:
1) Tu as de beaux yeux.
2) Elle a des épaules larges et musclés.

b) When the body part follows a verb other than "avoir" and is
qualified by an adjective (other than "droit" or "gauche"), French
uses the possessive adjective:

Examples:
1) J'ai pris sa main froide.
Mais:
2) J'ai la main froide. Il lui a pris la main droite.

Exercises: Click for vocabulary help
1. John's head hurts (John has a headache).

2. My fingers are cold.

3. Her hair is black.

4. They have long legs.

5. He has a large chest ["grande" precedes the noun].

6. when the body part is in apposition to the verb. The resulting
phrase is translated in English by "with":

Examples:
1) Elle est arrivée, un pistolet au poing. ("with a pistol in his hands")
2) Il est parti, l'oeil fixé sur son camarade.

Note: when clothes are in apposition to the verb,
they are also preceeded by the definite article:

Examples:
1) Elle est partie, le chapeau sur la tête.
2) Il passait, les gants aux mains.

C. If an object (rather than a person) possesses something ("the dress's color"="la couleur de la robe"), the thing possessed is preceded by the definite article and "en" is
placed before the verb:

Examples:
1) J'adore cette robe, mais la couleur en est trop claire.
2) J'aime Paris et j'en connais tous les quartiers.

NOTE: In these cases, "Its" is translated by the definite article (le, la, les) and "en" is placed before the verb: Its tires are black=Les pneus en sont noirs.

Exercises:
1. The mayor passed by with his hands in his pockets.

2. They approached her with their hats in their hands.

3. This house is beautiful, but its garden is too small.

Vocabulary:
to beat = battre
to tire=se fatiguer
to hurt=faire mal à quelqu'un
dirty = sale
the doctor's hands - celles du médecin
to twist=tordre
finger = le doigt
chest = la poitrine
mayor = le maire
to approach = s'approcher

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