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J'ai besoin de mon peigne et de mes ciseaux.

J'ai besoin de mon peigne et de mes ciseaux.
I need my comb and my scissors.
From Lesson 420:Repeating prepositions (à, de, en)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai besoin de mon peigne et de mes ciseaux.

Why do we have to say de mes ciseaux instead of just et mes ciseaux?
This sentence highlights a strict French rule: the prepositions à, de, and en must be repeated before every item in a list. Since the expression is avoir besoin de (to need), that de has to be restated before the second item, even though we do not repeat the preposition in English.
Why doesn't the second de combine with mes to form des?
The preposition de only contracts with the definite articles le and les (becoming du and des). It never contracts with possessive adjectives like mes, tes, or ses. Therefore, it remains two separate words: de mes.
Is the French word for scissors always plural?
Yes, when referring to the tool used to cut paper or hair, les ciseaux is always plural, just like in English. If you ever come across the singular un ciseau, it actually refers to a chisel! Just like in English, you can also say une paire de ciseaux (a pair of scissors).
If the second item in the list started with a vowel, would the repeated de still contract?
Yes, the repeated preposition follows all the standard rules of elision. If you needed your comb and your computer, you would drop the 'e' and say: J'ai besoin de mon peigne et d'un ordinateur.

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