Possessive pronouns – using “mein” and “meine” … in German

If you wish to show possession in German, you must take care of some Grammar aspects. This article explains to you when and how you properly use German possessive pronouns like “mein,” “meine,” “meinen,” and “meiner.”  

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns are words like “my,” “your,” or “his,” etc.  – in short: words that indicate something belongs to somebody or something.  The German language uses these pronouns similarly to English: if something belongs to a male person, you will use “his,” or if it belongs to a female person, you will use “her.”

ich	I	→	mein/e	my
du	you	→	dein/e	your
er	he	→	sein/e	his
sie	she	→	ihr/e	her
es	it	→	sein/e	its
wir	we	→	unser/e	our
ihr	you	→	euer/eure	your
sie	they	→	ihr/e	their
Sie	formal	→	Ihr/e	formal

Recommended study materials on the topic:

1. A-Grammar: Practice German grammar (incl. answers)

2. German self-study book for A1-B1  (incl. answers)

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“mein” or “meine”

After looking at the table above, you might ask yourself when you should add the “e” to the pronouns, as in “meine” and when it should stay “mein.” A possessive pronoun replaces an article like “der” or “eine.” If you choose an article for a German noun, it always depends on the grammatical gender of the noun. In German, you use “der” for male, “die” for female, and “das” for neuter nouns. You also use “die” for plural nouns. For male and neuter nouns, choose the version without the “e.” You can also see that if you use “ein” instead of “der” or “das.” So if your noun is “der Tisch” (the table) = “ein Tisch” (a table)  and therefore you should use “mein Tisch” (my table). For a female noun like “die Blume” (the flower), which is “eine Blume” (a flower), you would choose “meine Blume” (my flower). Of course, you can also skip the second step of “ein” and “eine” and add an “e” for female or plural nouns. However, this only applies if your noun is in the Nominative case. 

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Possessive pronouns in Nominative case

As in German, the cases affect the nouns and their articles; you must consider this when choosing the right pronoun. Does your noun stand in Nominative, so select from the table below.

Male	→	der Mann =	ein Mann	→	mein Mann
Female	→	die Frau =	eine Frau	→	meine Frau
Neuter	→	das Kind =	ein Kind	→	mein Kind
Plural	→	die Autos =	Autos	→	meine Autos

Examples: 

1. Mein Mann geht ins Fitnessstudio.
2. Deine Frau isst gerne Schokolade.
3. Unser Kind geht in die Schule.
4. Meine Autos stehen auf dem Parkplatz.

Possessive pronouns in Accusative case

In the Accusative case, only male nouns have changed. Accordingly, also only the male possessive pronouns change.

Male	→	den Mann =	einen Mann	→	meinen Mann
Female	→	die Frau =	eine Frau	→	meine Frau
Neuter	→	das Kind =	ein Kind	→	mein Kind
Plural	→	die Autos =	Autos	→	meine Autos

Examples: 

1. Ich kenne deinen Mann.
2. Er grüßt deine Frau.
3. Die Lerherin bewertet unser Kind.
4. Die Männer kaufen meine Autos.

Possessive pronouns in Dative case

There are changes for all genders in the Dative case, which also applies to possessive pronouns.

Male	→	dem Mann =	einem Mann	→	meinem Mann
Female	→	der Frau =	einer Frau	→	meiner Frau
Neuter	→	dem Kind =	einem Kind	→	meinem Kind
Plural	→	den Autos =	Autos	→	meinen Autos

 Examples: 

1. Ich gratuliere deinem Mann.
2. Er hilft deiner Frau.
3. Die Lerherin gibt unserem Kind eine gute Note.
4. Die Spiegel gehören meinen Autos.

Possessive pronouns in the Genitive case

Also, in the Genitive case, all genders change, which applies to possessive pronouns.

Male	→	des Mannes =	eines Mannes	→	meines Mannes
Female	→	der Frau =	einer Frau	→	meiner Frau
Neuter	→	des Kindes =	eines Kindes	→	meines Kindes
Plural	→	den Autos =	Autos	→	meinen Autos

Examples: 

1. Der Computer deines Mannes ist neu.
2. Die Arbeit deiner Frau ist schwer.
3. Die Lerherin unseres Kindes ist super.
4. Die Spiegel meiner Autos waren teuer.

 Showing possession in German

I hope that after reading this article, everything is clear. If you are still unsure, you can always follow these three steps:

1. consider to whom something belongs

2. know the gender of the noun and choose the ending accordingly

3. make sure to use the correct case

If you wish to know more about using the German genders of nouns, you should not miss out on “When to use “der, die or das” in German” Bis bald!

Steffie

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