Possessives with Body Parts
English uses possessive adjectives — not the definite article — with body parts and clothing. This differs from Russian, French, and Spanish, where the definite article is standard.
Possessives with Body Parts and Clothing
English consistently uses possessive adjectives with body parts and clothing items when the owner is already clear from context. This contrasts with Russian (where the reflexive possessive or definite article is used), French, and Spanish (where the definite article is standard). Research on cross-linguistic transfer shows that article-for-possessive substitution is one of the most persistent L1-transfer errors for Russian, French, and Spanish speakers learning English, and it typically persists well into B2 level.
The Pattern
Whenever the referent of a body part or clothing item is clear from context, English uses a possessive adjective. There is no reflexive possessive equivalent to Russian 'свой' — the personal possessive adjective does the job.
He put his coat on and went outside.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The little boy hurt his knee when he fell off the bike.
She brushed her teeth and hair.
Why 'the' Is Wrong Here
'She washed the hair' is awkward because the definite article does not specify whose hair. English speakers rely on the possessive to anchor ownership. In the rare case where the owner is genuinely ambiguous, English uses 'the' ('the hand reached out'), but whenever a subject is present and the body part clearly belongs to that subject, the possessive is required.
Common Mistakes
✗ He broke the arm playing football. → ✓ He broke his arm playing football.
✗ The doctor told me to open the mouth. → ✓ The doctor told me to open my mouth.