Possessive Pronouns
Possessivpronomen
German possessives are mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (her), unser (our), euer (your plural) and ihr/Ihr (their/your formal). Unlike English, they take endings that match the gender, number and case of the noun that follows, using exactly the same pattern as ein/eine: mein Hund, meine Katze, seinen Hund.
Learn mein, dein, sein, ihr and their forms.
Rules & Explanations
Possessive Pronouns
Possessivpronomen
My, your, his, her — these are possessive pronouns. In English, they never change. My dog, my cat, my house — always my. In German, they change based on gender and case!
German possessives change their ending based on the gender of the noun and the case. mein Hund (masc. nom.), meine Katze (fem. nom.), meinen Hund (masc. acc.), meinem Hund (masc. dat.).
English is simple: my dog, my cat, my house, my children — always my. His book, his pen, his table — always his.
mein Hund, meine Katze, mein Haus
my dog, my cat, my house
mein = masculine/neuter. meine = feminine/plural. Same pattern as ein/eine!
Possessives follow the same endings as ein/eine. Learn the pattern once, use it for all possessives!
The Possessive Pronouns
Die Possessivpronomen
Learn the base forms first. Then add endings based on gender and case — same as ein/eine!
| Pronoun | Possessive | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | my |
| du | dein | your (informal) |
| er | sein | his |
| sie | ihr | her |
| es | sein | its |
| wir | unser | our |
| ihr | euer | your (plural) |
| sie/Sie | ihr/Ihr | their / your (formal) |
All possessives use the same endings as ein/eine. mein works exactly like ein!
Possessives = ein with different first letters. mein, dein, sein, ihr all work like ein!
Common Mistakes
-
✗ sein Katze (his cat)
✓ seine Katze
Katze = feminine. sein + feminine ending = seine. Like eine!
-
✗ mein Kinder (my children)
✓ meine Kinder
Kinder = plural. mein + plural ending = meine. Like keine!
Endings in All Cases
Endungen in allen Fällen
Same endings for all possessives (dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer). Just replace mein- with dein-, sein-, etc.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein | meine | mein | meine |
| Accusative | meinen | meine | mein | meine |
| Dative | meinem | meiner | meinem | meinen |
Nominative: mein/meine/mein/meine. Same as ein! Accusative: add -en for masculine. Dative: -em (m/n), -er (f), -en (pl).
mein = ein with M. dein = ein with D. sein = ein with S. Same endings always!
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸Possessives: mein, dein, sein, ihr, sein, unser, euer, ihr/Ihr
- ▸ALL follow the same endings as ein/eine
- ▸Nominative: mein (m/n), meine (f/pl)
- ▸Accusative: meinen (m), meine (f/pl), mein (n)
- ▸Dative: meinem (m/n), meiner (f), meinen (pl)
- ▸sein = his/its. ihr = her/their. Context tells you which!
Examples
Mein Hund ist groß.
My dog is big.
MeinHund = masculine nominative. mein (no ending, like ein).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mein | my (nom. masc.) |
| Hund | dog |
| ist | is |
| groß | big |
Meine Katze ist klein.
My cat is small.
MeineKatze = feminine nominative. mein + e = meine (like eine).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Meine | my (nom. fem.) |
| Katze | cat |
| ist | is |
| klein | small |
Ich sehe seinen Hund.
I see his dog.
seinenHund = masculine accusative. sein + en = seinen.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| sehe | see |
| seinen | his (acc. masc.) |
| Hund | dog |
Wo ist dein Buch?
Where is your book?
deinBuch = neuter nominative. dein (no ending, like ein).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wo | where |
| ist | is |
| dein | your (nom. neut.) |
| Buch | book |
Ihre Kinder spielen draußen.
Her children play outside.
IhreKinder = plural nominative. ihr + e = ihre.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ihre | her (nom. plural) |
| Kinder | children |
| spielen | play |
| draußen | outside |
Ich helfe meinem Bruder.
I help my brother.
meinemhelfen + dative. Bruder = masculine. mein + em = meinem.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| helfe | help (+dat.) |
| meinem | my (dat. masc.) |
| Bruder | brother |
Das ist unser Haus.
That is our house.
unserHaus = neuter nominative. unser (no ending needed).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Das | that |
| ist | is |
| unser | our (nom. neut.) |
| Haus | house |
Ich gebe meiner Schwester ein Geschenk.
I give my sister a gift.
meinerSchwester = feminine dative. mein + er = meiner.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| gebe | give |
| meiner | my (dat. fem.) |
| Schwester | sister |
| ein | a |
| Geschenk | gift |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
___ Hund ist braun. (= my)
___ Hund ist braun.
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Common questions about German possessive pronouns
What are the possessive pronouns in German?
There are eight base forms, one per personal pronoun: ich to mein, du to dein, er to sein, sie to ihr, es to sein, wir to unser, ihr to euer, and sie/Sie to ihr/Ihr. Each one then takes an ending. Note that sein covers both his and its, while ihr covers both her and their.
How do German possessive endings work?
They copy the ein/eine pattern exactly. Nominative: mein Hund (masculine), meine Katze (feminine), mein Buch (neuter), meine Bücher (plural). Accusative changes only masculine to meinen: Ich sehe seinen Hund. Dative gives meinem, meiner, meinem and meinen. Learn the endings once and they work for dein, sein, ihr, unser and euer too.
What is the difference between sein and ihr in German?
Sein means his or its and refers back to a masculine or neuter owner; ihr means her or their and refers back to a feminine or plural owner. The ending agrees with the thing owned, not the owner: seine Mutter is his mother, ihr Vater is her father. Capitalised Ihr means your in the formal Sie form.
Why is it mein Hund but meine Katze?
Because the ending agrees with the noun that follows. Hund is masculine, so the nominative form has no ending: mein Hund. Katze is feminine, so it takes -e: meine Katze. It works exactly like ein Hund versus eine Katze. The owner never changes the ending — only the gender, number and case of the possession do.
How do I say your in German?
It depends on who you are addressing. Use dein for one person you know well (Wo ist dein Buch?), euer for several people you know well (euer Haus), and capitalised Ihr for the formal Sie, singular or plural (Ist das Ihr Mantel?). All three then take the normal ein-type endings.