Breakdown of Le col de sa chemise est propre, mais la manche gauche est encore mouillée.
être
to be
de
of
mais
but
encore
still
Questions & Answers about Le col de sa chemise est propre, mais la manche gauche est encore mouillée.
Why is it sa chemise and not son chemise?
Because French possessive adjectives agree with the thing owned, not with the owner.
So French says:
- sa chemise = his shirt or her shirt
It does not matter whether the owner is male or female. What matters is that chemise is feminine.
Does sa mean his or her here?
It can mean either one.
French sa can mean:
- his
- her
- sometimes even its
The sentence itself does not tell you whether the shirt belongs to a man or a woman. You need context for that.
This often feels strange to English speakers, because English possessives usually show the owner's gender, while French possessives usually show the noun's gender instead.
Why does French say le col de sa chemise instead of something more like his shirt collar?