Possessive articles such as mein (my) and dein (your) show who something belongs to. They take the same endings as ein, so if you know ein and kein, you already know most of the system.
Each personal pronoun has its own possessive article. The choice depends on the owner.
| Pronoun | Possessive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein (my) | Das ist mein Mann. |
| du | dein (your) | Ist das dein Handy? |
| er / es | sein (his, its) | Ravi und sein Bruder |
| sie | ihr (her) | Anita und ihr Bruder |
| wir | unser (our) | Unser Sohn ist zwei. |
| ihr | euer (your, plural) | Wo ist euer Auto? |
| sie | ihr (their) | Die Kinder und ihr Hund |
| Sie | Ihr (your, polite) | Ist das Ihr Koffer? |
The polite Ihr (your) has a capital I, just like Sie: Wie ist Ihr Name? Small ihr means her or their.
The ending depends on the thing that is owned – its gender, number and case – not on the owner. The endings are exactly those of ein and kein.
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | mein Vater | meine Mutter | mein Kind | meine Eltern |
| accusative | meinen Vater | meine Mutter | mein Kind | meine Eltern |
euer usually loses its second e when it gets an ending: eure Wohnung, euren Garten (the full form euere exists but is rare). unser keeps it: unsere Wohnung, unseren Garten.
English decides between his and her by the owner, and German does the same: sein if the owner is male (or a der/das noun), ihr if the owner is female (or plural). The ending then follows the possessed noun. This produces combinations that feel strange at first:
So seine does not mean that the owner is female – the -e belongs to the thing owned.
Build the form in two steps. Step 1: who is the owner? That gives you the stem: mein-, dein-, sein-, ihr-, unser-, eur-, Ihr-. Step 2: what is owned, and is it the subject or the object? That gives you the ending. For example, you (du) are looking for your key: owner du → dein-; der Schlüssel, object → -en: Suchst du deinen Schlüssel?
On forms and at offices you will constantly read the polite form: Ihr Name, Ihre Adresse, Ihr Geburtsdatum, Ihre Unterschrift. Learning these phrases as fixed chunks is a quick win for life in Germany.
| Not quite | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Anita besucht seine Mutter. (meaning: her own mother) | Anita besucht ihre Mutter. | Anita is female, so the owner word is ihr; the -e comes from die Mutter. |
| Ich suche mein Pass. | Ich suche meinen Pass. | der Pass is masculine and the object, so mein needs -en. |
| Wie ist ihr Name? (to a stranger) | Wie ist Ihr Name? | The polite 'your' is written with a capital I. |
| Wo ist euer Wohnung? | Wo ist eure Wohnung? | die Wohnung is feminine, so euer needs the ending -e; the e before r is normally dropped: eure. |
1. Das ist ___ Frau. Sie heißt Meena. (ich)
2. Rahul ruft ___ Vater an. (his)
3. Lena sucht ___ Handy. (her)
4. Kinder, wo sind ___ Schuhe?
5. Frau Becker, ist das ___ Tasche?
6. Wir verkaufen ___ Auto.
7. Hast du ___ Bruder in Indien besucht?
8. Die Kinder haben einen Hund. ___ Hund heißt Bello. (their)
Related grammar: Personal pronouns, The accusative case, Definite and indefinite articles.
Back to the grammar reference or to the A1 lessons.
Original practice questions written by the Desi European Tales editorial team; they are not the official exam questions. Checked 1 November 2026.
Related: German grammar reference · German A1 lessons · Personal pronouns
