Possessive Pronouns (Possessivpronomen)¶
Possessive pronouns show ownership (my, your, his, her, etc.). In German, they are also called "possessive articles" because they come before a noun and take endings just like ein- words.
1. Finding the Stem¶
First, identify the "owner" to find the correct stem.
| Owner (Personal Pronoun) | Possessive Stem | (English) |
|---|---|---|
| ich (I) | mein- | my |
| du (you) | dein- | your (familiar) |
| er (he) / es (it) | sein- | his / its |
| sie (she) | ihr- | her |
| wir (we) | unser- | our |
| ihr (you all) | euer- | your (plural) |
| sie (they) | ihr- | their |
| Sie (you, formal) | Ihr- | your (formal) |
Note: euer- often drops the 'e' when it takes an ending: eure Jacke (your jacket).
2. Adding the Ending¶
Once you have the stem (e.g., mein-), you add an ending that matches the gender, number, and case of the noun being owned (the "possession").
The endings are identical to the endings for kein- or the mixed declension table.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -er (meiner) | -e (meine) | - (mein) | -e (meine) |
| Akk. | -en (meinen) | -e (meine) | - (mein) | -e (meine) |
| Dat. | -em (meinem) | -er (meiner) | -em (meinem) | -en (meinen) |
| Gen. | -es (meines) | -er (meiner) | -es (meines) | -er (meiner) |
Examples¶
-
Nominative:
- Mein Hund (masc.) ist klein. (My dog is small.)
- Seine Katze (fem.) schläft. (His cat is sleeping.)
- Unser Auto (neut.) ist neu. (Our car is new.)
-
Accusative:
- Ich sehe deinen Hund. (I see your dog.)
- Er hat ihr Buch. (He has her book.)
-
Dative:
- Wir spielen mit unserer Katze. (We are playing with our cat.)
- Ich gebe eurem Lehrer die Hausaufgabe. (I give your teacher the homework.)
-
Genitive:
- Die Farbe meines Autos ist rot. (The color of my car is red.)