🏡 Possessive Adjectives
Saying "my," "your," "his," "her" in German — and how they change with case and gender
The Possessive Adjectives
German has a possessive adjective for each person. These are the base forms (before any endings are added):
| Person | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| I | mein | my |
| you (informal singular) | dein | your |
| he / it | sein | his / its |
| she | ihr | her |
| we | unser | our |
| you (informal plural) | euer | your (plural) |
| they | ihr | their |
| you (formal) | Ihr | your (formal) |
Endings Follow the ein-Word Pattern
All possessive adjectives take the same endings as "ein" and "kein." The ending depends on the gender, case, and number of the noun that follows — NOT on the gender of the owner. Here is the full table using "mein" as an example (all other possessives work the same way):
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein (Hund) | meine (Katze) | mein (Buch) | meine (Bücher) |
| Accusative | meinen (Hund) | meine (Katze) | mein (Buch) | meine (Bücher) |
| Dative | meinem (Hund) | meiner (Katze) | meinem (Buch) | meinen (Büchern) |
| Genitive | meines (Hundes) | meiner (Katze) | meines (Buches) | meiner (Bücher) |
Special Note: euer
The possessive "euer" (your, plural informal) behaves slightly differently. When it receives an ending, the middle -e- is usually dropped to keep it easy to pronounce. This is not a grammar rule you need to "learn" — it’s just a pronunciation convenience that native speakers follow naturally.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | euer (Hund) | eure (Katze) | euer (Buch) | eure (Bücher) |
| Accusative | euren (Hund) | eure (Katze) | euer (Buch) | eure (Bücher) |
| Dative | eurem (Hund) | eurer (Katze) | eurem (Buch) | euren (Büchern) |
| Genitive | eures (Hundes) | eurer (Katze) | eures (Buches) | eurer (Bücher) |
Common Mistakes
A few traps that catch nearly every learner:
| Mistake | Why It Happens | Correct Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Using "sein" for "her" | English "his/her" maps differently in German | "sein Buch" = his book, "ihr Buch" = her book |
| Lowercase "ihr" for formal "your" | Formal "Ihr" must be capitalized | "Ihr Buch" = your (formal) book, "ihr Buch" = her/their book |
| Wrong ending for the noun’s gender | The ending matches the noun, not the owner | "seine Katze" (his cat, fem.) not "sein Katze" |
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