Ma cousine se coiffe devant le miroir, puis elle range son maquillage dans un petit sac.

My cousin does her hair in front of the mirror, then she puts her makeup away in a small bag.

Breakdown of Ma cousine se coiffe devant le miroir, puis elle range son maquillage dans un petit sac.

• elle: she
• petit: small, little
• ma: my
• dans: in

Questions & Answers about Ma cousine se coiffe devant le miroir, puis elle range son maquillage dans un petit sac.

Why is there se in se coiffe?

Because se coiffer is a reflexive verb. It shows that the action comes back to the subject: she is doing her hair to herself.

• Elle se coiffe = she does/brushes/styles her hair
• Elle coiffe sa cousine = she does/styles her cousin’s hair

In French, reflexive pronouns go before the conjugated verb:

• je me coiffe
• tu te coiffes
• elle se coiffe

What does coiffer mean here exactly?

Here, coiffer means something like:

• to do one’s hair
• to brush one’s hair
• to style one’s hair

The exact English translation depends on context. In this sentence, it suggests she is fixing or arranging her hair while looking in the mirror.

Why is it Ma cousine and not Mon cousine?

Because cousine is a feminine singular noun, so the possessive adjective must be ma.

• ma cousine = my cousin (female)
• mon cousin = my cousin (male)

So the possessive adjective agrees with the noun’s gender and number.