Possessive Pronouns: meiner, meine, meins
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Learn how German possessive pronouns replace a noun that is already known. Practise forms based on the owner, case, gender, and number.
Explanation
Possessive pronouns replace a noun
A possessive article comes before a noun:
- Das ist mein Rucksack.
- Wo ist deine Fahrkarte?
A possessive pronoun stands alone and replaces the noun when the reference is clear:
- Ist das dein Rucksack? - Ja, das ist meiner.
- Wo ist deine Fahrkarte? - Meine ist in der Tasche.
The stem identifies the owner: mein- (ich), dein- (du), sein- (er/es), ihr- (sie = she), unser- (wir), euer- (ihr), ihr- (sie = they), and Ihr- (formal Sie = you). The ending agrees with the case, gender, and number of the omitted noun.
Forms with mein-
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|
| nominative | meiner | meine | meines (often: meins) | meine |
| accusative | meinen | meine | meines (often: meins) | meine |
| dative | meinem | meiner | meinem | meinen |
| genitive (rare) | meines | meiner | meines | meiner |
At A2, active practice focuses on the nominative, accusative, and dative. The genitive row is included for recognition because stand-alone genitive forms are rare in everyday German.
How to choose the form
- Identify the owner and choose the stem.
- Identify the omitted noun and its gender or plural form.
- Determine the case from the sentence role or preposition.
- Add the correct ending.
- Welcher Schirm gehört dir? - Der schwarze ist meiner. (nominative masculine)
- Welche Tasche nimmst du? - Ich nehme meine. (accusative feminine)
- Mit welchem Fahrrad fährst du? - Mit meinem. (dative neuter)
- Sind das eure Handschuhe? - Ja, das sind unsere. (nominative plural)
With euer-, the second e is normally dropped before an ending: eurer, eure, eures, eurem. Formal Ihr- is capitalized: Ist das Ihrer?
Exercises
- Choose the form that fits. First decide whether a noun follows or whether the form replaces the noun. (11)
- Complete the possessive pronoun. Check the owner, case, gender, and number of the omitted noun. (11)
- Place the forms from the word bank into the correct sentences. Use each form exactly once. (6)
- Use the situation to write a complete question with a possessive pronoun. (11)
A2 · German · Grammar