Possessivartikel (mein, dein, sein...)
Possessivartikel — for English Speakers
Introduction
English possessives are simple: my, your, his, her — they never change form. German possessives (mein, dein, sein, ihr) must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, AND case. So 'my book' could be 'mein Buch' (nominative neuter), 'meinen Hund' (accusative masculine), or 'meinem Freund' (dative masculine). The base word changes like ein-words.
German vs English
In German
mein/dein/sein follow ein-word endings
In English
my/your/his — never change in English
Key Difference
German possessives add case+gender endings; English possessives are invariable.
In German
sein = his, ihr = her (but also 'their' and formal 'your')
In English
his / her / their / your
Key Difference
German 'ihr' means both 'her' and 'their'; capitalized 'Ihr' means formal 'your'.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Ich besuche sein Mutter.
Forgetting to add the -e ending for feminine nouns — English 'his' never changes.
Das ist mein Tasche.
Using the base form 'mein' for a feminine noun — Tasche is feminine, so 'meine' is required.
Practice Examples
Das ist mein Buch.
That is my book.
Wo ist dein Schlüssel?
Where is your key?
Ich besuche seine Mutter.
I visit his mother.
Memory Tip
Possessives are 'ein' in disguise — mein, dein, sein all take the same endings as 'ein/eine/einen'.
View Grammar Rule
Possessivartikel (mein, dein, sein...)
Possessivartikel — A2
Practice Exercises
Possessivartikel (mein, dein, sein...) Übungen
8 exercises
Other Languages
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