Possessive Articles: mein, dein, sein

One possessive for every pronoun

Each personal pronoun has a matching possessive article: ich → mein (my), du → dein (your), er → sein (his), sie → ihr (her), es → sein (its), wir → unser (our), ihr → euer (your, plural) and sie → ihr (their). The formal Sie has the capitalised Ihr (your, formal), which you will see constantly on forms and in polite letters: Ihr Name, Ihre Adresse.

These words are called possessive articles because they stand where an article would stand: instead of der Name or ein Name you say mein Name. That placement matters — you never combine them with another article. "Der mein Name" does not exist; it is simply Mein Name ist Sara.

Before worrying about endings, spend a moment matching each pronoun to its possessive until the pairs come automatically: ich–mein, du–dein, wir–unser, ihr–euer. The third person trio er–sein, sie–ihr, es–sein needs the most attention, and the next section deals with it head-on.

• Mein Name ist Sara.

  My name is Sara.

• Dein Bruder ist nett.

  Your brother is nice.

• Unser Haus ist klein.

  Our house is small.

• Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer?

  What is your phone number?

  Formal Ihr, capitalised — standard on forms and in offices.

"sein" or "ihr"? The owner decides

English speakers usually find one point tricky: choosing between sein (his) and ihr (her). The rule is that the choice depends on the owner, while the ending depends on the noun that follows.

Step one: who owns it? A male owner gives sein-, a female owner gives ihr-. Step two: what gender is the thing owned? That decides the ending, exactly as with ein. So Toms car is sein Auto and Annas car is ihr Auto — same car, different owner. And Toms lamp is seine Lampe: masculine owner, but feminine ending because Lampe is feminine. Keep the two steps separate and the system never fails. Note also that the possessive sein is a different word from the verb sein (to be) — context always makes clear which one you are reading.

• Das ist Tom. Sein Auto ist alt.

  That is Tom. His car is old.

• Das ist Anna. Ihr Auto ist neu.

  That is Anna. Her car is new.

• Seine Lampe ist kaputt.

  His lamp is broken.

  Male owner (sein-), feminine noun (-e).

Endings like ein and kein

Possessive articles take exactly the endings you already know from ein and kein. Masculine and neuter nouns: no ending — mein Bruder, mein Buch. Feminine and plural nouns: -e — meine Schwester, meine Eltern (my parents).

In the accusative, the familiar masculine change appears once more: mein becomes meinen, dein becomes deinen, and so on. Ich sehe meinen Vater (I see my father) but Ich sehe meine Mutter — only the masculine object shows the -en.

One small spelling note: euer drops its inner e when an ending is added: euer Haus, but eure Wohnung. That is the only irregular spelling in the whole set.

• Meine Schwester wohnt in Bonn.

  My sister lives in Bonn.

• Ich sehe meinen Vater.

  I see my father.

  Masculine direct object: mein becomes meinen.

• Er liebt seine Familie.

  He loves his family.

• Eure Wohnung ist schön.

  Your (plural) flat is beautiful.

  euer drops the inner e before an ending.

Talking about your people and things

Possessives unlock one of the most natural A1 conversation topics: family. Combine them with the verbs and question words you already have and you can introduce your whole household: Meine Mutter heißt Elena. Mein Bruder ist zwanzig. Und deine Familie? Asking back with a possessive — dein Bruder, deine Schwester, Ihre Kinder — keeps a conversation going with almost no extra vocabulary.

They are just as useful for everyday objects: mein Handy (my phone), meine Tasche (my bag), dein Schlüssel (your key). Practise by walking through your day and claiming things out loud — my key, my bus, my desk — choosing the ending noun by noun. Owner first, noun gender second: that two-step check is the whole lesson in one habit.

• Meine Mutter heißt Elena.

  My mother is called Elena.

• Sie besucht ihren Bruder.

  She visits her brother.

  Female owner (ihr-), masculine object (-en).

• Wo ist mein Schlüssel?

  Where is my key?