German Possessive Articles: Mein, Dein, Sein, and More
German possessive articles (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr/Ihr) show ownership and precede nouns like indefinite articles. They decline like ein-words, changing their endings to match the gender, case, and number of the noun they modify—not the owner. For example: sein Auto (his car), seine Tasche (his bag).
German possessive articles indicate who owns or is associated with something. Each personal pronoun has a corresponding possessive: ich becomes mein, du becomes dein, er/es becomes sein, sie becomes ihr, wir becomes unser, ihr becomes euer, and sie/Sie becomes ihr/Ihr. These articles always stand directly before the noun they modify, just like ein or eine.
The key principle is that possessive articles agree with the noun being possessed, not with the owner. If a man owns a car, you say sein Auto (das Auto is neuter), but if he owns a bag, you say seine Tasche (die Tasche is feminine). The possessive article changes its ending based on the gender, case, and number of the following noun.
Possessive articles follow the same declension pattern as ein. In the nominative case, masculine and neuter forms take no ending (mein Bruder, mein Kind), while feminine and plural forms add -e (meine Schwester, meine Eltern). In the accusative, only masculine nouns trigger a change to -en (meinen Bruder), while the others remain unchanged. The dative case requires -em for masculine and neuter, -er for feminine, and -en for plural.
A common source of confusion is choosing between sein and ihr. Remember that sein corresponds to er and es (he/it), while ihr corresponds to sie (she). The ending on these articles then adjusts to match the possessed noun, not the possessor's gender. Practice with real sentences helps cement these patterns in context.
- Possessive articles show ownership and precede nouns
- Possessivartikel (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr/Ihr) zeigen Besitz oder Zugehörigkeit und stehen vor dem Nomen wie ein unbestimmter Artikel: mein Auto, deine Tasche.
- Each pronoun has its own possessive form
- Die Form richtet sich nach dem Besitzer: ich → mein, du → dein, er/es → sein, sie → ihr, wir → unser, ihr → euer, sie (Plural)/Sie (höflich) → ihr/Ihr. Sein und ihr sind oft eine Fehlerquelle.
- Articles agree with the possessed noun, not the owner
- Possessivartikel werden wie 'ein' dekliniert (ein-Wörter) und passen sich in Genus, Kasus und Numerus dem Nomen an, das sie begleiten — NICHT dem Besitzer selbst: sein Auto (das Auto des Mannes), seine Tasche (die Tasche des Mannes).
- Nominative case endings by gender and number
- Nominativ: mein Bruder, meine Schwester, mein Kind, meine Eltern. Maskulin und Neutrum bekommen im Nominativ keine Endung, feminin und Plural bekommen -e.
- Accusative case: only masculine changes
- Akkusativ: maskulin bekommt -en (ich sehe meinen Bruder), feminin, neutrum und Plural bleiben wie im Nominativ (meine Schwester, mein Kind, meine Eltern).
- Dative case endings for all genders
- Dativ: alle Genera bekommen -em/-er/-em, der Plural bekommt -en: meinem Bruder, meiner Schwester, meinem Kind, meinen Eltern.
Examples
Common mistakes
- Using ihr instead of sein for male owners: say sein Vater, not ihr Vater (when referring to a man's father)
- Using sein instead of ihr for female owners: say ihr Vater, not sein Vater (when referring to a woman's father)
- Forgetting the accusative masculine -en ending: say ich sehe meinen Bruder, not ich sehe mein Bruder
- Not adjusting the ending to match the noun's gender: say seine Tasche (feminine), not sein Tasche
FAQ
What is the difference between sein and ihr?
Sein corresponds to er and es (he/it), while ihr corresponds to sie (she). Both then take endings that match the gender and case of the noun being possessed. For example, sein Buch (his book) versus ihr Buch (her book), but seine Tasche (his bag) versus ihre Tasche (her bag).
Do possessive articles change in the plural?
Yes. In the nominative and accusative plural, all possessive articles add -e: meine Eltern, unsere Freunde. In the dative plural, they add -en: meinen Eltern, unseren Freunden. The plural form is the same regardless of the noun's gender.
Why does euer sometimes lose the -e-?
When euer takes an ending, the internal -e- often drops for easier pronunciation: euer Vater (nominative) becomes euren Vater (accusative) or eure Mutter. This is optional but very common in spoken German to avoid awkward consonant clusters.