A1 Grammar · Unit 3 · Topic 6 of 29
Possessive Articles
You use these to talk about family, home, and belongings. The possessive word depends on who owns it (ich → mein, du → dein, er → sein), and the ending depends on the noun (masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural).
Treat it like ein/eine. If the noun takes -e (feminine or plural), the possessive takes -e too: meine Mutter, meine Eltern. Formal you is always Ihr with a capital I.
| masculine | neuter | feminine | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mein | mein Vater | mein Handy | meine Mutter | meine Eltern |
| dein | dein Vater | dein Handy | deine Mutter | deine Eltern |
| sein | sein Vater | sein Handy | seine Mutter | seine Eltern |
| (her) ihr | ihr Vater | ihr Handy | ihre Mutter | ihre Eltern |
| (our) unser | unser Vater | unser Handy | unsere Mutter | unsere Eltern |
Common mistakes
Don't choose the ending by who's speaking. Everyone says "mein Vater" for their father, not "meine Vater" if you're male. And unser and euer lose an e: unsere, eure.
Memory trick
Treat mein like ein. Mein Vater, eine Mutter, meine Mutter.
Practice
Fill in the blank.
- ___ (my) Bruder ist Arzt.
- ___ (my) Schwester wohnt in Köln.
- Wie heißt ___ (your, du) Mutter?
Show answers
Answers: Mein, Meine, deine.