Possessive adjectives in German
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Sign up for freeThis chapter will deal with the possessive form of adjectives.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What are possessive adjectives in German?
- 1.1.Table of possessive adjectives according to person
- 2.Declension of possessive adjectives
- 3.Difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns
- 3.1.Examples of possessive adjectives sentences in German
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Exercise on possessive adjectives in German
- 4.2.Exercise: Possessive adjective or pronoun?
What are possessive adjectives in German?
Possessive adjectives are used to indicate possession or relationship. This concept is very similar to the possessive pronouns. To make sure you get the difference, have a look at the following table. Each personal pronoun has an appropriate possessive adjective.
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Barbara S. 
Eleonora L. 
Ulrike B. 
Manuel S.
Christopher R. 
Marie S. 
Felix C. 
Marwa E. 
Ana G. 
Krisztina B. 
Barbara S.
Eleonora L.
Ulrike B.
Manuel S.
Christopher R.
Marie S.
Felix C.
Marwa E.
Table of possessive adjectives according to person
| Singular | Personal pronoun | Possessive adjective |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | ich (I) | mein (my) |
| 2nd person | du (you) | dein (your) |
| 3rd person masculine | er (he) | sein (his) |
| 3rd person feminine | sie (she) | ihr (her) |
| 3rd person neuter | es (it) | sein (its) |
| formal | Sie (you) | Ihr (your) |
| Plural | Personal pronoun | Possessive adjective |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | wir (we) | unser (our) |
| 2nd person | ihr (you) | euer (your) |
| 3rd person | sie (they) | ihr (their) |
| formal | Sie (you) | Ihr (your) |
The formal possessive adjective is always written with a capital letter. However, dein and euer can also be capitalized, when written in a letter, but this is optional.
- Lieber Felix, vielen Dank für Deinen Brief. (Dear Felix, thanks a lot for your letter.)
- Liebe Grüße, Euer Hans. (Kind regards, yours Hans.)
Declension of possessive adjectives
Because the possessive adjective stands right in front of the noun of a sentence, the adjective needs to be declined according to the gender, number and case of the noun. To do so, you have to use the declension for indefinite articles (ein, kein, etc.) and to declense it in the following way:
| Possessive adjective endings | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein - / Bruder | mein - e Schwester | mein - / Kind | mein - e Kinder |
| Accusative | mein - en Bruder | mein - e Schwester | mein - / Kind | mein - e Kinder |
| Dative | mein - em Bruder | mein - er Schwester | mein - em Kind | mein - en Kindern |
| Genitive | mein - es Bruders | mein - er Schwester | mein - es Kindes | mein - er Kinder |
Watch out, because there is no ending of the possessive adjective in nominative masculine, nominative neuter and accusative Neuter. The possessive adjective just comes is his main form.
Difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns
You might think that there isn't a huge difference between this two types of possessive words. But in fact there is.
- Possessive adjectives (mein/e, dein/e etc.) stand right before the noun.
- Possessive pronouns (meins, deins etc.) stand behind the noun and can also replace it.
| Sentence with possessive pronoun | Sentence with possessive adjectives |
|---|---|
| Das Fahrrad ist meins./Das ist meins. (The bicycle is mine.) | Das ist mein Fahrrad. (This is my bicycle.) |
| Die braune Katze ist ihre. (The brown cat is hers.) | Ihre Katze ist braun. (Her cat is brown.) |
| Wessen Auto ist das? Deins? (Whose car is this? Yours?) | Wessen Auto ist das? Ist es dein Auto? (Whose car is this? Is it your car?) |
| Ist dieser Stift deiner? (Is this pen yours?) | Ist das dein Stift? (Is that your pen?) |
Examples of possessive adjectives sentences in German
- Wo ist meine Schwester? (Where is my sister?)
- Ich kenne deinen Bruder noch nicht. (I don't know your brother yet.)
- Er läuft durch unseren Garten. (He is running through our garden.)
- Kennst du meine Tante und ihren Mann? (Do you know my aunt and her husband?)
- Wo ist eure Mutter? (Where is your mother?)
By using the possessive euer, the endings are normally put to eur- (e.g. euren, eure, eurem).
To get a deeper understanding of possessive pronoun, have look at the chapter about prossessive pronouns in German.
Exercises
Exercise on possessive adjectives in German
Fill in the missing words.
Recap: In German there are 8 main possessive adjectives : mein, dein, sein, ihr, sein, unser, euer and ihr. They need to be conjugated in dependence of the number, gender and case of the noun.
The possessive adjective you need to transform always is in brackets behind the free space. Decline and then write the correct word in the free space like in the example.
Example: Das ist meine (mein) Tasse. (This is my cup.)
1. Bitte gib mir (mein) Regenschirm zurück. (Give me my umbrella back, please.)
2. Was hast du mit (mein) Notizbuch gemacht? (What did you do with my notebook?)
3. Sie freut sich über den Erfolg (ihr) Bruders. (She is happy about the success of her brother.)
4. Er weiß nicht wie spät es ist, weil er (sein) Uhr nicht finden kann. (He doesn't know what time it is, because he can't find his watch.)
5. Anne hat einen Hund. (ihr) Hund ist ziemlich klein. (Anne has a dog. Her dog is very small.)
6. Meine Schwester und ich gehen zu (unser) Oma. (My sister and I are going to our grandmother.)
7. Ich komme aus Deuschland und die meisten (mein) Freunde kommen auch aus Deutschland. (I'm from Germany and most of my friends are from Germany, too.)
8. Wie heißt der Junge? (sein) Name ist Ben. (What's the name of this boy? His name is Ben.)
9. Das ist (unser) Großvater. (This is our grandfather.)
10. Ben und Max essen gerne Burger. Das ist (ihr) Lieblingsessen. (Ben and Max like to eat burger. It's their favorite food.)
Exercise: Possessive adjective or pronoun?
Exercises
Exercise on possessive adjectives in German
Fill in the missing words.
Recap: In German there are 8 main possessive adjectives : mein, dein, sein, ihr, sein, unser, euer and ihr. They need to be conjugated in dependence of the number, gender and case of the noun.
The possessive adjective you need to transform always is in brackets behind the free space. Decline and then write the correct word in the free space like in the example.
Example: Das ist meine (mein) Tasse. (This is my cup.)
1. Bitte gib mir (mein) Regenschirm zurück. (Give me my umbrella back, please.)
2. Was hast du mit (mein) Notizbuch gemacht? (What did you do with my notebook?)
3. Sie freut sich über den Erfolg (ihr) Bruders. (She is happy about the success of her brother.)
4. Er weiß nicht wie spät es ist, weil er (sein) Uhr nicht finden kann. (He doesn't know what time it is, because he can't find his watch.)
5. Anne hat einen Hund. (ihr) Hund ist ziemlich klein. (Anne has a dog. Her dog is very small.)
6. Meine Schwester und ich gehen zu (unser) Oma. (My sister and I are going to our grandmother.)
7. Ich komme aus Deuschland und die meisten (mein) Freunde kommen auch aus Deutschland. (I'm from Germany and most of my friends are from Germany, too.)
8. Wie heißt der Junge? (sein) Name ist Ben. (What's the name of this boy? His name is Ben.)
9. Das ist (unser) Großvater. (This is our grandfather.)
10. Ben und Max essen gerne Burger. Das ist (ihr) Lieblingsessen. (Ben and Max like to eat burger. It's their favorite food.)