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Saying 'it's mine' with 'être à moi', 'à toi', 'à lui'

In English you say This coat is mine or This coat belongs to me. French has a very common third way that English lacks: the verb être followed by à and a stressed pronoun. Ce manteau est à moi literally means this coat is to me, and that is how French speakers normally say it's mine.

English speakers often trip over this because they look for a single word for mine or hers and don't expect a preposition. Another trap is the pronoun: after à you need the stressed forms moi, toi, lui, elle, not the subject forms je, tu, il.

Word list
à elleA1 hers c'est à elle = it's hers à ellesA1 theirs c'est à elles = it's theirs à euxA1 theirs c'est à eux = it's theirs à luiA1 his c'est à lui = it's his à moiA1 mine c'est à moi = it's mine à nousA1 ours c'est à nous = it's ours à toiA1 yours c'est à toi = it's yours à vousA1 yours c'est à vous = it's yours à vousA1 yours c'est à vous = it's yours
How it works

The pattern is always the same: être + à + stressed pronoun. The thing owned is the subject, and the owner comes after à. Nothing changes to agree with the object: à moi stays à moi whether you're talking about a coat, a car or ten books.

Ce manteau est à moi.
(This coat is mine.)

You can also put a name or a noun after à, just as English uses Paul's or my sister's: être à Paul, être à ma sœur.

Le vélo rouge est à Paul.
(The red bike is Paul's.)

In speech the most frequent form is c'est à + pronoun, and the question is C'est à qui ? (Whose is it?).

The words

For one owner, use à moi (mine), à toi (yours, for a friend or family member), à lui (his) and à elle (hers).

Ces clés, elles sont à toi ?
(These keys, are they yours?)
Le chien noir est à lui.
(The black dog is his.)
Cette voiture est à elle.
(This car is hers.)

For several owners, use à nous (ours), à vous (yours, for several people, or polite for one person) and à elles (theirs, when all the owners are female). For a male or mixed group, the form is à eux.

Cette maison est à nous depuis dix ans.
(This house has been ours for ten years.)
Excusez-moi, ce sac est à vous ?
(Excuse me, is this bag yours?)
Les vélos dans le jardin sont à elles.
(The bikes in the garden are theirs.)
Watch out
Don't use subject pronouns

C'est à je or C'est à il are wrong. After à, always use moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles.

Compare with le mien

French also has possessive pronouns like le mien and la sienne, which agree with the object. La maison est à lui and la maison est la sienne both mean the house is his, but à lui is simpler and clearer, because la sienne doesn't tell you if the owner is a man or a woman. À lui or à elle does.

Ce n'est pas mon livre, il est à elle.
(It's not my book, it's hers.)
It's your turn

C'est à toi or C'est à vous can also mean it's your turn, in games or queues. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Allez, c'est à toi de jouer !
(Come on, it's your turn to play!)
The verb appartenir

Appartenir à (to belong to) also exists, but with a pronoun it works differently: ce livre m'appartient, not appartient à moi. In everyday speech, être à moi is far more common.

Summary

To say who something belongs to, use être à + a stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) or a name: C'est à moi, C'est à Paul. The form never changes with the object owned, and it's the easiest everyday way to say mine, yours, his or hers.