Table of Contents
Understanding Possessive Articles in German
In this chapter you learn how to say things like “my mother,” “your friend,” or “his brother” in German. These little words like “my” and “your” are called possessive articles.
What are Possessive Articles?
Possessive articles in German show who something belongs to. They come in front of a noun, like English “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “our,” “their.”
Basic forms:
| English | German possessive article |
|---|---|
| my | mein |
| your (informal, singular) | dein |
| his | sein |
| her | ihr |
| its | sein |
| our | unser |
| your (informal, plural: you all) | euer |
| your (formal, singular & plural) | Ihr |
| their | ihr |
You use these with people and with things:
“my mother” = meine Mutter
“your book” = dein Buch
Possessive Articles with Family and Friends
Because you are talking about family and friends, you will use possessive articles a lot.
Some common examples:
| English | German |
|---|---|
| my mother | meine Mutter |
| my father | mein Vater |
| your (sg.) sister | deine Schwester |
| your (sg.) brother | dein Bruder |
| his friend (male) | sein Freund |
| her friend (female) | ihre Freundin |
| our parents | unsere Eltern |
| their child | ihr Kind |
You see that the basic word often changes a little. This depends on gender and number of the noun. In this chapter you only need to notice that sometimes there is an extra “-e” or “-er.”
Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter with Possessives (Nominative)
When the possessive article is used with a noun in the basic subject form (nominative), and that noun is singular, you change the ending of the possessive depending on the gender of the noun.
Use this overview with “mein” as the example. The same pattern works for all possessives in the nominative.
| Noun gender | Definite article | Example noun | “my” + noun (nominative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | der | Vater | mein Vater |
| feminine | die | Mutter | meine Mutter |
| neuter | das | Kind | mein Kind |
| plural | die | Eltern | meine Eltern |
So:
“my father” = mein Vater (masculine)
“my mother” = meine Mutter (feminine)
“my child” = mein Kind (neuter)
“my parents” = meine Eltern (plural)
Formula (nominative, basic pattern):
Masculine & neuter nouns: possessive without -e (mein Vater, dein Kind, sein Onkel)
Feminine & plural nouns: possessive with -e (meine Mutter, deine Schwestern, ihre Eltern)
The same endings apply to all possessive articles:
| English | Masculine / Neuter | Feminine / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| my | mein | meine |
| your (sg.) | dein | deine |
| his | sein | seine |
| her | ihr | ihre |
| its | sein | seine |
| our | unser | unsere |
| your (pl., informal) | euer | eure |
| your (formal) | Ihr | Ihre |
| their | ihr | ihre |
Examples with family:
“your (sg.) brother” = dein Bruder
“your (sg.) sister” = deine Schwester
“our son” = unser Sohn
“our daughters” = unsere Töchter
“their child” = ihr Kind
“their children” = ihre Kinder
Using Possessive Articles in Simple Sentences
You can put these expressions into very simple main clauses to talk about your family and friends.
Examples:
“Das ist mein Bruder.”
“That is my brother.”
“Das ist meine Schwester.”
“That is my sister.”
“Das ist sein Vater.”
“That is his father.”
“Das ist ihre Mutter.”
“That is her mother.”
“Das sind unsere Kinder.”
“Those are our children.”
“Das ist euer Freund.”
“That is your (you all) friend.”
“Das ist Ihre Tochter.”
“That is your daughter.” (formal “you”)
Remember that the capital letter in “Ihr / Ihre” shows the polite form “you,” not “her” or “their.”
Important:
“ihr / ihre” (small “i”) = her / their
“Ihr / Ihre” (capital “I”) = your (formal)
Special Forms: “unser” and “euer”
Two possessive articles change a little when you add endings.
For “unser”:
“our father” = unser Vater
“our mother” = unsere Mutter
“our child” = unser Kind
“our parents” = unsere Eltern
For “euer”:
“your (pl.) father” = euer Vater
“your (pl.) mother” = eure Mutter
“your (pl.) child” = euer Kind
“your (pl.) parents” = eure Eltern
You see that “euer” loses one “e” before the ending “-e.”
Spelling rule:
unser + -e → unsere
euer + -e → eure
Asking and Answering about “My” and “Your”
To speak about family and friends, you often need to ask “Who is that?” and answer with a possessive article.
Examples:
“Wer ist das?”
“Das ist mein Bruder.”
“Wer ist das?”
“Das ist meine Freundin.”
You can also ask directly:
“Ist das dein Vater?”
“Nein, das ist mein Onkel.”
“Ist das eure Mutter?”
“Ja, das ist unsere Mutter.”
“Sind das deine Eltern?”
“Ja, das sind meine Eltern.”
The possessive follows the person:
ich → mein(e)
du → dein(e)
er → sein(e)
sie (she) → ihr(e)
es → sein(e)
wir → unser(e)
ihr → euer / eure
Sie (formal) → Ihr(e)
sie (they) → ihr(e)
Short Dialogues with Possessive Articles
Dialogue 1:
“A: Hast du Geschwister?”
“B: Ja, ich habe eine Schwester. Das ist meine Schwester Anna.”
Dialogue 2:
“A: Wer ist das auf dem Foto?”
“B: Das ist unser Vater.”
Dialogue 3:
“A: Sind das Ihre Kinder?”
“B: Ja, das sind meine Kinder.”
These patterns help you introduce your family and talk about relationships in a simple way.
Vocabulary List
| German | English |
|---|---|
| mein | my (masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| meine | my (feminine / plural, nominative) |
| dein | your (informal singular, masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| deine | your (informal singular, feminine / plural, nominative) |
| sein | his / its (masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| seine | his / its (feminine / plural, nominative) |
| ihr | her / their (masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| ihre | her / their (feminine / plural, nominative) |
| unser | our (masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| unsere | our (feminine / plural, nominative) |
| euer | your (informal plural “you all”, masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| eure | your (informal plural “you all”, feminine / plural, nominative) |
| Ihr | your (formal, masculine / neuter, nominative) |
| Ihre | your (formal, feminine / plural, nominative) |
| mein Vater | my father |
| meine Mutter | my mother |
| mein Bruder | my brother |
| meine Schwester | my sister |
| mein Kind | my child |
| meine Kinder | my children |
| mein Freund | my (male) friend / boyfriend |
| meine Freundin | my (female) friend / girlfriend |
| unsere Eltern | our parents |
| euer Freund | your (pl.) friend |
| Ihre Tochter | your (formal) daughter |