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📚 What are Possessive Adjectives?

Definition

Possessives are words such as 'my', 'your', 'his', 'her' which indicate that something belongs to somebody.

Usage in English and German

Possessives are used in a similar way in English and in German. If something belongs to a male person, use the male pronoun 'his' to indicate that it belongs to him. If something belongs to a female or to more than one person, you choose the female pronoun 'her' or a plural pronoun such as 'our' or 'their'.

The Possessive Adjectives in German

Here is an overview of the possessive adjectives:

🎯 Possessive Adjectives Require Endings

In German, the endings of possessive adjectives must agree in gender, number and case with the noun that they are linked to. However, this is not as complicated as it sounds. The endings follow the pattern of the indefinite article ein, with some variations in the plural.

Summary of Possessive Endings

Nominative Case Endings

In the nominative case, there are no possessive adjectival endings before masculine and neuter nouns. If the noun is feminine or plural, -e is added to the possessive:

Accusative Case Endings

You probably remember the main change in the accusative case, where the indefinite article for masculine nouns changes from ein to einen. The possessive follows exactly the same pattern and adds -en when it appears before a masculine noun. The feminine and plural forms take an extra -e.

Dative Case Endings

In the dative case, the possessive takes the endings -em when referring to masculine and neuter nouns and -er if the noun is feminine. In the plural add -en:

Genitive Case Endings

At beginners' level you are unlikely to use possessives in the genitive case, but you may encounter them in a written text or a recording. They have -es endings for masculine and neuter, and -er for feminine nouns and the plural.

⚠️ Spelling Variation for "euer"

Note that euer ('your', informal plural) is spelled slightly differently when used in connection with a feminine noun or the plural:

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Building on: Personal Pronouns - You learned ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie. These same pronouns form the basis for possessive adjectives (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr).

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Prepare for: Reflexive Verbs - Learn how to use verbs like "sich freuen" (to be glad), "sich waschen" (to wash oneself) with reflexive pronouns like mich, dich, sich.