German Possessive Adjectives: mein, dein, sein, ihr…
Possessive adjectives show who owns or possesses something. In German, they agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify—not with the possessor. Key possessives: mein (my), dein (your), sein (his), ihr (her), unser (our), euer (your pl.), Ihr (your formal), ihr (their).
German possessive adjectives (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr, ihr) modify nouns and agree in gender, number, and case with those nouns—not the possessor. Example: mein Buch (neuter singular), meine Frau (feminine singular), meine Bücher (plural).
- •mein (my) — singular
- •dein (your informal) — singular
- •sein (his) — singular
- •ihr (her) — singular
- •unser (our) — plural
- •Nominative: mein, deine, sein…
- •Accusative: meinen, deinen, seinen… (masc.)
- •Dative: meinem, deinem, seinem… (masc.)
- •Genitive: meines, deines, seines…
Step-by-step worked examples
How do you say 'my house' (nominative, neuter) in German?
Possessive 'my' = mein. Noun 'house' (das Haus) is neuter, nominative. Nominative neuter = 'mein' (no ending). Answer: mein Haus.
How do you say 'your (informal) brother' (nominative, masculine)?
Possessive 'your (informal)' = dein. Noun 'brother' (der Bruder) is masculine, nominative. Nominative masculine = 'dein' (no ending). Answer: dein Bruder.
How do you say 'her sister' (nominative, feminine)?
Possessive 'her' = ihr. Noun 'sister' (die Schwester) is feminine, nominative. Nominative feminine = 'ihre' (add -e). Answer: ihre Schwester.
Flashcards
Quick quiz
Q1.Which is the correct form of 'my' before 'Frau' (woman, feminine, nominative)?
Q2.What is the possessive adjective for 'his' in German?
Q3.Fill in: 'Our house is big.' — 'Unser ___ ist groß.'
Q4.What does a German possessive adjective agree with?
The full card deck, worked steps and AI-tutor support for “German Possessive Adjectives: mein, dein, sein, ihr…” are in Notek — study by hand before your exam.
Common mistakes
Thinking possessives agree with the possessor, not the noun. — Correct: Possessives agree with the NOUN. 'His sister' = 'seine Schwester' (feminine) because 'Schwester' is feminine, not because the possessor is male.
Using 'mein' before all feminine nouns without adding '-e'. — Correct: Feminine nouns require the ending '-e': 'meine Frau', 'meine Tür', 'meine Nacht'.
Forgetting to decline possessives for accusative, dative, and genitive cases. — Correct: Possessives change: 'Ich sehe meinen Freund' (acc.), 'Ich gebe meinem Freund' (dat.), 'Das Auto meines Freundes' (gen.).
Confusing 'ihr' (her) with 'Ihr' (formal you) or 'ihr' (their). — Correct: Context matters: 'ihre Frau' (her wife), 'Ihre Frau' (your wife, formal), 'ihre Frau' (their wife).
FAQ
Do German possessive adjectives change?
Yes, they decline like adjectives to agree with the noun's gender, number, and case. Example: 'mein Buch' (nom.) → 'meinen Buch' (acc., if applicable) → 'meinem Buch' (dat.) → 'meines Buches' (gen.).
Why does 'his sister' become 'seine Schwester' (feminine)?
Because the possessive agrees with the NOUN (Schwester), which is feminine, not with the possessor (he). Gender of the owner doesn't matter in German.
What is the difference between 'ihr', 'Ihr', and 'ihre'?
'Ihr' (capital) = your (formal/polite), 'ihr' (lowercase) = their or your (informal plural), 'ihre' = feminine form of either (agrees with noun).
Which possessive adjectives are used in German?
mein (I), dein (you singular informal), sein (he), ihr (she/they), unser (we), euer (you plural informal), Ihr (you formal), ihr (they formal/lowercase they).