How To Learn German Possessive Pronouns: Explained Simply With Examples

Are you ready to tackle one of the most important aspects of German grammar?

German possessive pronouns are really important in the language, and if you have the right approach to learn them, you’ll be using them like a native in no time. Some people are visual learners, and that’s okay.

That’s why we’re also sharing this great video on this topic made by ‘Learn German‘ YouTube channel:

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about German possessive pronouns, from their basic form to their usage in different cases.

We’ll also share all-in-one tables and German example sentences, so you can see these possessive pronouns in action.

1. What are German possessive pronouns?

Effortless Answers

German possessive pronouns, or “Possessivpronomen” in German, are words that show ownership or possession. They’re similar to English possessive pronouns like “mine,” “yours,” or “theirs,” but with a German twist.

In German, these pronouns change form depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun they’re referring to. We’ll break it down step by step!

Possessive pronouns in German are closely related to personal pronouns.

For each personal pronoun (ich, du, er, sie, es, etc.), there’s a corresponding possessive pronoun.

These pronouns tell us who the owner is and agree with the noun they’re modifying in terms of gender, number, and case.

The basic forms of German possessive pronouns

GermanEnglish
meinmy
deinyour (informal singular)
seinhis
ihrher
seinits
unserour
eueryour (informal plural)
ihrtheir
Ihryour (formal singular and plural)

2. Difference between German possessive pronouns vs possessive adjectives

Now, let’s clear up a common source of confusion: the difference between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives in German.

While they look similar and are often used interchangeably in English, they have different roles in German.

Possessive adjectives in German are used before a noun to show ownership, like “mein Hund” (my dog) or “deine Katze” (your cat). They always appear with a noun and change their ending based on the gender, number, and case of that noun.

Possessive pronouns, on the other hand, stand alone and replace both the possessive adjective and the noun.

For example, “Der Hund ist meiner” (The dog is mine) or “Die Katze ist deine” (The cat is yours). They also change form based on gender, number, and case, but they have slightly different endings than possessive adjectives.

Here’s a comparison table to illustrate the difference:

Possessive AdjectiveEnglishPossessive PronounEnglish
mein Hundmy dogmeinermine (masculine)
deine Katzeyour catdeineyours (feminine)
sein Buchhis bookseineshis (neuter)
ihre Blumeher flowerihrehers (feminine)
unser Autoour carunseresours (neuter)
euer Hausyour houseeuresyours (neuter, informal plural)
ihr Gartentheir gardenihrertheirs (masculine)
Ihr Büroyour officeIhresyours (neuter, formal)
meine Schuhemy shoesmeinemine (plural)
seine Taschehis bagseinehis (feminine)

3. German possessive pronouns in cases

German possessive pronouns change their form depending on the case they’re used in.

There are four cases in German:

  • nominative
  • accusative
  • dative
  • genitive.

Each case has a specific role in the sentence and affects how the possessive pronoun is formed.

Possessive pronouns in nominative

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence.

Here’s how possessive pronouns look in the nominative case:

MasculineFeminineNeuterEnglish
meinermeinemeinesmine
deinerdeinedeinesyours (informal singular)
seinerseineseineshis
ihrerihreihreshers
seinerseineseinesits
unsererunsereunseresours
eurereureeuresyours (informal plural)
ihrerihreihrestheirs
IhrerIhreIhresyours (formal)

Let’s see these nominative German possessive pronouns in a real conversation:

Lisa: Ist das dein Buch? (Is that your book?)
Max: Nein, meins ist rot. Das hier ist ihres. (No, mine is red. This one is hers.)
Lisa: Oh, Marias? (Oh, Maria’s?)
Max: Ja. Wo ist deins? (Yes. Where’s yours?)
Lisa: Meins? Zu Hause vergessen. (Mine? Forgot it at home.)
Max: Kein Problem. Du kannst meins benutzen. (No problem. You can use mine.)
Lisa: Danke! Deins sieht neuer aus als meins. (Thanks! Yours looks newer than mine.)

Possessive pronouns in genitive

The genitive case is used to show possession.

Here are the possessive pronouns in the genitive case:

MasculineFeminineNeuterEnglish
meinesmeinermeinesmine
deinesdeinerdeinesyours (informal singular)
seinesseinerseineshis
ihresihrerihreshers
seinesseinerseinesits
unseresunsererunseresours
eureseurereuresyours (informal plural)
ihresihrerihrestheirs
IhresIhrerIhresyours (formal)

In a German dialouge:

Anna: Wessen Auto ist das? (Whose car is that?)
Tom: Das ist meines Bruders Auto. (That’s my brother’s car.)
Anna: Oh, und das daneben? (Oh, and the one next to it?)
Tom: Das ist deines Vaters, oder? (That’s your father’s, isn’t it?)

Possessive pronouns in dative

The dative case is used for indirect objects.

Here are the possessive pronouns in the dative case:

MasculineFeminineNeuterEnglish
meinemmeinermeinemmine
deinemdeinerdeinemyours (informal singular)
seinemseinerseinemhis
ihremihrerihremhers
seinemseinerseinemits
unseremunsererunseremours
euremeurereuremyours (informal plural)
ihremihrerihremtheirs
IhremIhrerIhremyours (formal)

Using the possessive pronouns in dative looks like this – continuing the previous German conversation:

Anna: Ja. Meinem gefällt deines besser. (Yes. Mine likes yours better.)
Tom: Wirklich? Unserem auch. (Really? Ours too.)

Possessive pronouns in accusative

The accusative case is used for direct objects.

Here are the possessive pronouns in the accusative case:

MasculineFeminineNeuterEnglish
meinenmeinemeinesmine
deinendeinedeinesyours (informal singular)
seinenseineseineshis
ihrenihreihreshers
seinenseineseinesits
unserenunsereunseresours
eureneureeuresyours (informal plural)
ihrenihreihrestheirs
IhrenIhreIhresyours (formal)

And to finish that short interaction, here’s how you use these possessive pronouns in the accusative case:

Anna: Ich sehe deinen Bruder oft mit seinem Auto. (I often see your brother with his car.)
Tom: Und ich sehe deinen Vater mit seinem. (And I see your father with his.)
Anna: Lass uns unsere Fahrräder holen. (Let’s get our bicycles.)
Tom: Gute Idee. Ich nehme meins, du nimmst deins. (Good idea. I’ll take mine, you take yours.)

4. Choose the right German possessive pronoun: gender and noun agreement

If you want clear communication, you have to choose the right German possessive pronoun. 

But how do you do that?

The key is to pay attention to both the owner (who the thing belongs to) and the noun being possessed (what the thing is). Just as we mentioned earlier, the possessive pronoun needs to agree with the gender and number of the noun it’s referring to, plus, the case it’s used in.

german possessive pronouns used the same way as in english

How do you do this?

Let’s take mein Buch(my book) as an example. If you want to say ‘It’s mine’, you’d use ‘Es ist meines’ because ‘Buch‘ is neuter, and uses the neuter article ‘das‘.

But if you’re talking about “meine Katze” (my cat) and want to say “She’s mine,” you’d use “Sie ist meine” because “Katze” is feminine.

TIP: The gender agreement is based on the thing being possessed, not the owner. So even if you’re a man talking about your book, you’d still use the neuter form because “Buch” is neuter.

5. Practice German possessive pronouns with our pre-made flashcards

It’s time to practice! Fill in the blanks with the correct form of German possessive pronouns:

If you want to practice more, you can request access to our Full Practice Worksheet Library!

6. Learn possessive pronouns in German with Conversation Based Chunking

Now, you might be thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot to remember!”

And you’re right – trying to memorize all these forms one by one can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, there’s a better way!

Enter Conversation Based Chunking. This method helps you learn German naturally by focusing on common phrases and expressions rather than isolated words or grammar rules. Instead of memorizing tables, you learn how natives actually use these pronouns in real conversations.

You might learn phrases like “Das ist meins!” (That’s mine!) or “Ist das deins?” (Is that yours?). By learning these chunks of language, you’ll start to internalize the correct usage of possessive pronouns without getting bogged down in grammar rules.

To help you along your German learning journey, we’ve prepared a free German Conversation Based Chunking Guide. This guide will introduce you to more useful phrases and expressions, helping you sound more natural and confident when using possessive pronouns and other tricky aspects of German grammar.

You can immediately request the this guide by clicking the button below:

Viel Glück und viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen! (Good luck and have fun learning German!)

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