Possessive articles (mein, dein...)
A1 Possessivartikel (mein, dein...) 9 / 52
In short
Possessive articles say whose something is: mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (her/their), unser (our), euer (your-pl), Ihr (your-formal). They are ein-words: they take exactly the same endings as ein/kein. Two things must match - the owner picks the stem (sein/ihr…), and the noun owned picks the ending.
The rule
Each personal pronoun has its own possessive stem:
| Owner | Possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | my |
| du | dein | your (informal) |
| er / es | sein | his / its |
| sie (she) | ihr | her |
| wir | unser | our |
| ihr (you all) | euer | your (plural) |
| sie (they) | ihr | their |
| Sie (formal) | Ihr | your (formal, always capitalised) |
To these stems you add the ein-word endings, which depend on the gender, number and case of the thing owned - never on the owner:
- mein Vater (m), meine Mutter (f), mein Kind (n), meine Eltern (pl)
- Accusative masculine takes -en: Ich sehe meinen Bruder.
This is the double agreement. His and her show it clearly, because the stem alone tells you the owner, while the ending alone tells you the noun:
- sein Vater = his father - seine Mutter = his mother - seine Kinder = his children
- ihr Vater = her father - ihre Mutter = her mother - ihre Kinder = her children
So seine Mutter still means his mother (owner = er); the -e only agrees with Mutter being feminine.
Forms & patterns
Full declension of mein (all other possessives work the same way):
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein Vater | meine Mutter | mein Kind | meine Eltern |
| Accusative | meinen Vater | meine Mutter | mein Kind | meine Eltern |
| Dative | meinem Vater | meiner Mutter | meinem Kind | meinen Eltern |
The endings (-, -e, -en, -em, -er) are identical to ein and kein - compare lesson 7 and 8.
The endings alone:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | – | -e | – | -e |
| Acc | -en | -e | – | -e |
| Dat | -em | -er | -em | -en |
Watch euer: it drops the second e as soon as an ending is added.
| Case | euer + noun |
|---|---|
| Nom m/n | euer Hund / euer Auto |
| Nom f / pl | eure Katze / eure Freunde |
| Acc m | euren Hund |
| Dat pl | euren Freunden |
(unser keeps its e: unser, unsere, unseren, unserem, unserer.)
Examples
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| Das ist mein Vater. | This is my father. |
| Meine Schwester wohnt in Köln. | My sister lives in Cologne. |
| Ich sehe meinen Bruder am Bahnhof. | I see my brother at the station. |
| Wo sind deine Schlüssel? | Where are your keys? |
| Seine Mutter kommt aus Spanien. | His mother is from Spain. |
| Ihr Hund heißt Rex. | Her dog is called Rex. |
| Wir besuchen unsere Großeltern. | We visit our grandparents. |
| Spielt ihr mit euren Freunden? | Are you playing with your friends? |
| Ich helfe meiner Tochter. | I help my daughter. |
Common mistakes
- sein Mutter -> seine Mutter - the ending agrees with the noun (Mutter = feminine), not with the owner.
- sein Vater for “her father” -> ihr Vater - the stem shows the owner; a female owner needs ihr, even before a masculine noun.
- Ich sehe mein Bruder -> Ich sehe meinen Bruder - accusative masculine needs -en.
- meine Vater -> mein Vater - masculine nominative has no ending.
- euer Kinder -> eure Kinder - euer loses its second e before an ending.
Tips
- If you know the ein/kein endings, you already know these: possessive = stem + ein-ending.
- Two-step check: first pick the stem by the owner (mein/dein/sein/ihr…), then pick the ending by the noun’s gender + case.
- sein = owner is er/es; ihr = owner is sie (she) or sie (they). Don’t let the noun’s gender fool you.
- euer -> drop the middle e whenever an ending follows: eure, euren, eurem, eurer.