German Possessive Pronouns and Clothes Vocabulary
Possessive pronouns tell us who something belongs to: my book, your bag, her brother. In German they take the same endings as ein and kein, which means you already know most of the pattern.
The possessive pronouns
Each personal pronoun has its own possessive. The one you choose depends on the owner, and the ending depends on the noun that follows.
| Owner | Possessive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | mein Vater (my father) |
| du | dein | deine Mutter (your mother) |
| er / es | sein | sein Bruder (his brother) |
| sie | ihr | ihr Bruder (her brother) |
| wir | unser | unser Haus (our house) |
| ihr | euer | eure Kinder (your children) |
| sie / Sie | ihr / Ihr | Ihr Name (your name, formal) |
Endings
In the nominative, masculine and neuter nouns have no ending (mein Vater, mein Kind). Feminine and plural nouns add -e (meine Mutter, meine Eltern). In the accusative, only the masculine changes: Ich sehe meinen Vater.
Euer drops the e before an ending: euer Haus, but eure Mutter.
sein or ihr?
Choose based on the owner, not the object. Peter und sein Bruder means Peter and his brother. Anna und ihr Bruder means Anna and her brother. The ending only follows the noun: Anna und ihre Schwester.
Clothes
das Hemd (shirt), das T-Shirt (T-shirt), der Pullover (sweater), die Hose (trousers), die Jeans (jeans), das Kleid (dress), der Rock (skirt), die Jacke (jacket), der Mantel (coat), der Schuh, die Schuhe (shoe, shoes), die Socke, die Socken (sock, socks) and die Mütze (cap).
Common mistakes
- Using ihr for his. Use sein for a male owner and ihr for a female owner.
- Writing euere. The correct form is eure.
- Forgetting to change the ending for feminine and plural nouns: meine Schwester, not mein Schwester.
Practice
Describe your family in six sentences, for example: Mein Vater arbeitet als Lehrer. Meine Schwester wohnt in Berlin. Then describe what you and a friend are wearing today.
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