Language/German/Grammar/Possessive-Pronouns
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| ◀️ Personal Pronouns — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Booking a Trip ▶️ |
In this lesson, we will dive into the concept of possessive pronouns in German. Possessive pronouns are used to indicate ownership or possession of an object or person. They replace a noun and agree with the gender and case of the noun they replace. Understanding how to use possessive pronouns correctly is essential for building more complex sentences and expressing ownership in German.
Possessive Pronouns in German[edit | edit source]
Possessive pronouns in German are used to express possession or ownership. They are similar to possessive adjectives, but they replace the noun rather than precede it. Possessive pronouns must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they replace. Let's take a look at the different forms of possessive pronouns in German:
Possessive Pronouns for Masculine Nouns[edit | edit source]
When replacing a masculine noun, the possessive pronouns in German are as follows:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mein | mīn | my |
| dein | dīn | your (singular informal) |
| sein | zaɪn | his |
| ihr | iːɐ̯ | her |
| unser | ˈʊnzɐ | our |
| euer | ˈɔʏ̯ɐ | your (plural informal) |
| ihr | iːɐ̯ | their |
Possessive Pronouns for Feminine Nouns[edit | edit source]
When replacing a feminine noun, the possessive pronouns in German are as follows:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meine | ˈmaɪ̯nə | my |
| deine | ˈdaɪ̯nə | your (singular informal) |
| seine | ˈzaɪ̯nə | his |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | her |
| unsere | ˈʊnzəʀə | our |
| eure | ˈɔʏ̯ʀə | your (plural informal) |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | their |
Possessive Pronouns for Neuter Nouns[edit | edit source]
When replacing a neuter noun, the possessive pronouns in German are as follows:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mein | mīn | my |
| dein | dīn | your (singular informal) |
| sein | zaɪn | his |
| ihr | iːɐ̯ | her |
| unser | ˈʊnzɐ | our |
| euer | ˈɔʏ̯ɐ | your (plural informal) |
| ihr | iːɐ̯ | their |
Possessive Pronouns for Plural Nouns[edit | edit source]
When replacing a plural noun, the possessive pronouns in German are as follows:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meine | ˈmaɪ̯nə | my |
| deine | ˈdaɪ̯nə | your (singular informal) |
| seine | ˈzaɪ̯nə | his |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | her |
| unsere | ˈʊnzəʀə | our |
| eure | ˈɔʏ̯ʀə | your (plural informal) |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | their |
Possessive Pronouns in Different Cases[edit | edit source]
Possessive pronouns in German also change depending on the case they are used in. Let's take a look at the different forms of possessive pronouns in different cases:
Nominative Case[edit | edit source]
In the nominative case, possessive pronouns are used when the noun is the subject of the sentence. Here are the forms of possessive pronouns in the nominative case:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meiner | ˈmaɪ̯nɐ | mine |
| deiner | ˈdaɪ̯nɐ | yours (singular informal) |
| seiner | ˈzaɪ̯nɐ | his |
| ihrer | ˈiːʀɐ | hers |
| unser | ˈʊnzɐ | ours |
| eurer | ˈɔʏ̯ʀɐ | yours (plural informal) |
| ihrer | ˈiːʀɐ | theirs |
Accusative Case[edit | edit source]
In the accusative case, possessive pronouns are used when the noun is the direct object of the sentence. Here are the forms of possessive pronouns in the accusative case:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meinen | ˈmaɪ̯nən | mine |
| deinen | ˈdaɪ̯nən | yours (singular informal) |
| seinen | ˈzaɪ̯nən | his |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | hers |
| unseren | ˈʊnzəʀən | ours |
| euren | ˈɔʏ̯ʀən | yours (plural informal) |
| ihre | ˈiːʀə | theirs |
Dative Case[edit | edit source]
In the dative case, possessive pronouns are used when the noun is the indirect object of the sentence. Here are the forms of possessive pronouns in the dative case:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meinem | ˈmaɪ̯nəm | mine |
| deinem | ˈdaɪ̯nəm | yours (singular informal) |
| seinem | ˈzaɪ̯nəm | his |
| ihrem | ˈiːʀəm | hers |
| unserem | ˈʊnzəʀəm | ours |
| eurem | ˈɔʏ̯ʀəm | yours (plural informal) |
| ihrem | ˈiːʀəm | theirs |
Genitive Case[edit | edit source]
In the genitive case, possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession. Here are the forms of possessive pronouns in the genitive case:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meines | ˈmaɪ̯nəs | mine |
| deines | ˈdaɪ̯nəs | yours (singular informal) |
| seines | ˈzaɪ̯nəs | his |
| ihrer | ˈiːʀɐ | hers |
| unseres | ˈʊnzəʀəs | ours |
| eures | ˈɔʏ̯ʀəs | yours (plural informal) |
| ihrer | ˈiːʀɐ | theirs |
Using Possessive Pronouns in Sentences[edit | edit source]
Now that we have learned the different forms of possessive pronouns in German, let's practice using them in sentences. Here are a few examples:
Example Sentences[edit | edit source]
- Das ist **mein** Buch. (This is my book.)
- Wo ist **deine** Tasche? (Where is your bag?)
- Ich habe **seinen** Hund gesehen. (I saw his dog.)
- **Ihre** Katze ist sehr süß. (Her cat is very cute.)
- Das sind **unsere** Kinder. (These are our children.)
- Wo sind **eure** Schlüssel? (Where are your keys?)
- Das ist **ihr** Auto. (That is their car.)
In these examples, the possessive pronouns agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they replace. It's important to pay attention to these agreements when using possessive pronouns in German.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
In this lesson, we have explored the concept of possessive pronouns in German. We have learned the different forms of possessive pronouns for masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural nouns, as well as their different forms in the nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive cases. Understanding how to use possessive pronouns correctly is crucial for expressing ownership and building more complex sentences in German. Keep practicing and incorporating possessive pronouns into your German conversations to improve your language skills. Gute Arbeit! (Good job!)
Videos[edit | edit source]
German Possessive Adjectives (Nominative and Accusative ...[edit | edit source]
Learn German | Possessive Pronouns | Nominative case - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Learn German | Possessive Pronouns | Accusative case - YouTube[edit | edit source]
German Pronouns L5 - Possessive Pronouns - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]
- To Each Their Own: Take Ownership of German Possessive Pronouns
- German Possessive Pronouns: Your Essential Guide
- German Possessive Pronouns | Study.com
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Declension
- Definite Articles in German
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Pronouns in German
- Indefinite Articles in German
- Using Prepositions
- Negation
- Past Participle in German
- Personal Pronouns
- Cases
| ◀️ Personal Pronouns — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Booking a Trip ▶️ |