German Possessives: mein, dein, sein, ihr
After this lesson you can say what belongs to you and to other people.
Do this first: der, die, das
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
My father works in Berlin.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
My mother is called Anna.
5 / 8 · Choose
What does dein mean?
6 / 8 · Choose
What does sein mean as a possessive?
7 / 8 · Choose
What does unser mean?
8 / 8 · Choose
Which word means both "her" and "their"?
In short
German possessives are mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (her/their), unser (our), euer (your plural) and Ihr (your formal). With der and das nouns they take no ending; with die nouns and all plurals, add -e: mein Bruder, meine Schwester, meine Eltern.
How it works
Possessives answer "whose?" and German has one for each person. Mein is my, dein your, sein his, ihr her, unser our, euer your (plural), ihr their — and capitalised Ihr for the formal "your". Note that sein does double duty as "his" and "its", and that ihr means both "her" and "their", with only context to separate them.
The ending rule is the same one you met with family words, and it depends entirely on the noun that follows. Masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns take the bare form: mein Vater, mein Kind, sein Buch. Feminine (die) nouns and every plural take an -e: meine Mutter, deine Schwester, meine Eltern, unsere Freunde.
So the useful habit is to ask the questions in the right order. Not "is it mein or meine?" but "is this noun der, die or das?" — and then the ending follows automatically. Feminine and plural both get -e; masculine and neuter get nothing. Two groups, one letter of difference.
| Person | Possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | my |
| du | dein | your (informal) |
| er / es | sein | his / its |
| sie | ihr | her |
| wir | unser | our |
| ihr | euer | your (plural informal) |
| sie | ihr | their |
| Sie | Ihr | your (formal) — always capitalised |
| Noun | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| der — masculine | no ending | mein Vater |
| das — neuter | no ending | mein Kind |
| die — feminine | + e | meine Mutter |
| die — plural | + e | meine Eltern |
Examples
- Mein Vater arbeitet in Berlin.My father works in Berlin.
- Meine Mutter heißt Anna.My mother is called Anna.
- Das ist mein Kind.This is my child.
- Wie heißt deine Schwester?What is your sister called?
- Sein Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.His book is on the table.
- Ihre Wohnung ist sehr schön.Her flat is very nice.
- Unsere Freunde kommen heute.Our friends are coming today.
- Meine Eltern wohnen in Hamburg.My parents live in Hamburg.
- Ist das Ihr Auto?Is that your car? (formal)
- Wo ist dein Handy?Where is your phone?
Mistakes to avoid
✗ mein Mutter
✓ meine Mutter
Mutter is die, so the possessive needs -e. Always check the article before choosing the form.
✗ meine Vater
✓ mein Vater
Vater is der, so no ending. The mirror-image error, and just as common.
✗ ihre Auto (meaning "his car")
✓ sein Auto
sein is his, ihr is her. English speakers reach for the wrong one because German attaches the possessive to the owner, not the object.
✗ ihr Auto for the formal "your car"
✓ Ihr Auto
The capital letter is the entire difference between "their car" and "your car, sir". In writing it matters.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| mein | my | |
| dein | your (informal) | |
| sein | his, its | |
| ihr | her, their | |
| unser | our | |
| euer | your (plural) | |
| das Handy | mobile phone | a German invention — not English |
| die Wohnung | flat, apartment | |
| der Freund | friend (male) | die Freundin for a woman |
| gehören | to belong to |
Kulturnotiz
Das Handy is a genuine German word for a mobile phone, not borrowed from English — no English speaker calls a phone a "handy". It belongs to a family of German-made pseudo-anglicisms including der Beamer (a projector) and das Public Viewing (an outdoor screening). They sound like English and will not be understood by English speakers, which catches learners out in both directions.
Common questions
+How do I know whether to add -e?
Look at the noun's article. die words — feminine nouns and all plurals — take -e. der and das words take nothing. The noun decides, not the owner.
+How do I tell "her" from "their"?
You cannot from the word alone — both are ihr. Context does the work: Ihre Mutter after talking about one woman is "her mother"; after talking about a couple it is "their mother".
+Why is Ihr sometimes capitalised?
Capital Ihr is the formal "your", matching Sie. Lower-case ihr is "her" or "their". In speech they sound identical, so speakers rely on context; in writing the capital removes the ambiguity.
+Does euer change spelling?
Yes — it loses its second e when an ending is added: euer Vater but eure Mutter. It is the one possessive that shifts its stem, and it trips up learners who expect euere.