Possessives · mein / dein / sein / ihr
Talk about your family and your things. mein ("my"), dein ("your"), sein ("his"), ihr ("her") decline exactly like ein — so you already know the endings.
Examples
- Das ist mein Bruder.That's my brother.
- Ich besuche meine Eltern.I'm visiting my parents.
- Sie liebt ihren Mann.She loves her husband.
After this pattern you can
- talk about your family
- say whose something is
- ask about someone else's things
Start with a conversation
Is that your sister?
Yes, that's my sister.
And where's your brother?
My brother is in Berlin.
Do you know her husband?
No, I know his brother.
meine Schwester, mein Bruder, ihren Mann — the ending follows the noun that is owned, not the person who owns it.
The forms
The stem comes from the owner; the ending comes from the noun — the ein-endings you already know:
Only the masculine object changes: mein → meinen Vater, sein → seinen Bruder. (After mit, helfen and the like they change again — meinem, meiner. That comes in its own pattern later.)
unser and euer drop a vowel once an ending is added: unsere Mutter, eure Eltern (not "euere").
Phrases you can use today
This is my …
Is that your …?
What's your sister called?
Typical mistakes
She is female, so the stem is ihr-.
Vater is masculine, so no -e.
Object form: masculine adds -en.
What you'll practise
1. Possessive · subject form
mein / meine / mein / meine, matched to the gender of the thing owned: mein Vater, meine Mutter.
- Mein Vater arbeitet viel.My father works a lot.
- Meine Schwester ist Ärztin.My sister is a doctor.
2. Possessive · object form
Only the masculine changes, exactly like ein → einen: mein Vater → Ich sehe meinen Vater.
- Ich suche meinen Schlüssel.I'm looking for my key.
- Sie liebt ihren Mann.She loves her husband.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 2 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.