Learn Hardcore French: Son rasoir est sous le miroir, mais elle préfère se raser plus tard. - His razor is under the mirror, but she prefers to shave later.

Because rasoir is a masculine noun. In French, the possessive adjective (son/sa/ses) agrees with the gender and number of the noun possessed, not with the owner.

Masculine singular: son rasoir
Feminine singular: sa brosse
Plural: ses affaires

Note: You also use son before a feminine noun starting with a vowel sound to avoid awkward pronunciation, e.g., son amie (not sa amie).

Does son mean “his” or “her” here? How do I know whose razor it is?

Son can mean “his,” “her,” or “its.” The owner is determined by context. Here, the next clause has elle, so the natural reading is “her razor.” If you need to remove ambiguity, you can say:

Le rasoir de Marie est sous le miroir.
Colloquially for emphasis: Son rasoir à elle est sous le miroir. (adds clarity but is informal)

Why is it sous le miroir and not sous du miroir?

The simple preposition sous (“under”) is followed directly by a determiner and noun: sous le/la/les…. So you say sous le miroir.
You use du (“de + le”) with expressions like en dessous du or au-dessous du, not after sous:

sous le miroir = under the mirror (physically)
en dessous du miroir / au-dessous du miroir = below the mirror (more about vertical position/level)

What’s the difference between sous, dessous, en dessous de, and au-dessous de?

sous + noun: physically underneath something. Example: Le chat est sous la table.
dessous (adverb): “underneath/under there,” often without a noun. Example: Regarde dessous.
en dessous de + noun: “below” (can be physical or figurative). Example: Il vit en dessous du seuil de pauvreté.
au-dessous de + noun: similar to en dessous de, often more formal or for vertical scale. Example: La température est au-dessous de zéro.

For an object literally sitting under another, sous + noun is the most natural.

Is the comma before mais necessary?

Yes. In French, a comma is typically placed before coordinating conjunctions like mais when they link two independent clauses. So …, mais … is standard.

Do I need de or à before the infinitive after préférer?

No. Préférer is followed directly by an infinitive: Elle préfère se raser…
To compare two options, use plutôt que: Elle préfère se raser plus tard plutôt que maintenant.

Why is it se raser (reflexive) and not just raser?

Raser means “to shave (something/someone).” When the subject shaves themself, French uses the reflexive form se raser (“to shave oneself”).

Elle rase son frère. = She shaves her brother.
Elle se rase. = She shaves (herself).

Where does the reflexive pronoun go with an infinitive after a verb like préférer?

Object pronouns (including reflexive me/te/se/nous/vous) go right before the infinitive:

Elle préfère se raser plus tard. Wrong: Elle se préfère raser.

With negation, the ne…pas wraps the conjugated verb, and the pronoun still sits before the infinitive:

Elle ne veut pas se raser maintenant.

How do you pronounce the tricky parts like rasoir, sous, miroir, préfère, and plus tard?

rasoir: roughly “rah-zwar” (IPA: [ʁa.zwaʁ]); the “oi” sounds like “wa.”
sous: “soo”; final -s is silent.
miroir: “meer-wahr” (IPA: [miʁwaʁ]).
préfère: “pray-fair” (IPA: [pʁe.fɛʁ]); the second vowel is like “eh.”
plus tard: usually “plu tar” (IPA: [ply taʁ]); in this fixed phrase, the -s in plus is silent. You’ll hear a [z] sound only in liaison before a vowel, e.g., plus agréable → [ply‿zaɡʁeabl].

Is it normal to use se raser for a woman?

Yes. Se raser simply means “to shave,” regardless of gender. You’d specify the body part if needed:

Elle se rase les jambes / les aisselles.
Il se rase le visage.

Should I say se raser les jambes or se raser ses jambes?

Use the definite article with body parts after a reflexive verb, not the possessive:

Correct: Elle se rase les jambes.
Not idiomatic: Elle se rase ses jambes. The reflexive pronoun (se) already shows whose body part it is.

Can I move plus tard to another position?

Yes, but the most natural position is at the end of the clause: Elle préfère se raser plus tard.
You can front it for emphasis or context: Plus tard, elle préfère se raser.
Avoid splitting the verb phrase awkwardly: Elle préfère, plus tard, se raser is possible but fussy.

What’s the difference between plutôt and plus tard?

plutôt = “rather/instead.” Example: Elle préfère partir plutôt que rester.
plus tard = “later.” Example: Elle partira plus tard.

Don’t use plutôt to mean “later.”

What’s the difference between tard and en retard?

tard describes a late time: Il est tard. (It’s late.)
en retard means “late” relative to a schedule/deadline: Elle est en retard. (She is running late.) Plus tard literally means “more late” → “later.”

Is there any special spelling rule with the accents in préfère?

Yes. In préférer, the second é changes to è (open e) when the syllable after it is silent in pronunciation:

je préfère, tu préfères, il/elle préfère, ils/elles préfèrent
But: nous préférons, vous préférez (no change because the ending is pronounced)

How would I say this in the past, and does the past participle agree with the subject in se raser?

No object specified: agree with the subject → Elle s’est rasée.
With a body part after the verb, there’s usually no agreement because the reflexive pronoun isn’t the direct object:
- Elle s’est rasé les jambes. (no extra -e) Compare: Elle s’est lavé les mains. (no agreement) vs Elle s’est lavée. (agreement) because there’s no direct object after the verb in the second case.

Could I say elle préfère raser plus tard?

No. Without se, raser means “to shave (someone/something).” Elle préfère raser plus tard would mean “She prefers to shave (someone/something) later.” To say she prefers to shave herself later, use se raser: Elle préfère se raser plus tard.

Is glace also a word for “mirror,” or should I always use miroir?

Both exist, but usage varies:

miroir is the neutral, general word for a mirror in modern French.
glace can also mean a mirror (especially in certain expressions or older usage), but it more commonly means “ice” or “ice cream” depending on context. You’ll still see it in compounds like armoire à glace (wardrobe with a mirror). For clarity, miroir is safest.