📚 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
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein Mann | meine Frau | mein Baby | meine Kinder |
| Accusative | meinen Mann | meine Frau | mein Baby | meine Kinder |
| Dative | meinem Mann | meiner Frau | meinem Baby | meinen Kindern |
| Genitive | meines Mannes | meiner Frau | meines Babys | meiner Kinder |
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:
Exercise 16.1: Match the Possessives
MatchingMatch up the English possessives with their German equivalents. Click on an English word, then click on its German translation.
Exercise 16.2: Nominative Case Endings
Fill in the blanksFill in the missing endings in the nominative case. In some cases no endings are needed.
Exercise 16.3: Looking for Things (Accusative)
Write sentencesWrite sentences describing what these people are looking for. Use the accusative case with the pattern: [Person] sucht [possessive + noun]
Claudia → Tasche (f) → Claudia sucht ihre Tasche.
Matthias → Führerschein (m) → Matthias sucht seinen Führerschein.
Exercise 16.4: Translation Practice
TranslationsTranslate the following sentences into German. Pay attention to the correct case and endings!
1 This is my father.
2 This is my mother.
3 Jörg is looking for his credit card.
4 Susanne is looking for her driving licence.
5 We meet our friends.
6 Sebastian talks to his mother.
7 Arianne talks to her brother.
8 The children talk to their grandparents.
✓ Checklist
Do you know all the possessive pronouns in German?
What do the endings of the possessive pronouns have to agree with?
Which possessive pronoun changes its spelling when it is used with feminine nouns or in the plural?
← From Previous (e15)
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).
→ Coming Next (e17)
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.