German Grammar
German Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns (Possessivpronomen) replace entire noun phrases to show ownership, while possessive adjectives (Possessivartikel) modify nouns. Unlike English, German possessive pronouns change their endings based on gender, number, and case of the noun they replace.
Possessive adjective vs pronoun:
- • Das ist mein Auto. → Das Auto ist meins. (That is my car. → The car is mine.)
- • Ich sehe deinen Hund. → Der Hund ist deiner. (I see your dog. → The dog is yours.)
Possessive Pronouns as Noun Replacements
Possessive pronouns stand alone and replace the entire noun phrase. They take endings that match the gender, number, and case of the noun they replace.
All possessive pronouns (mein-, dein-, sein-, ihr-, unser-) follow the same ending pattern:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | meiner | meine | meins | meine |
| Accusative | meinen | meine | meins | meine |
| Dative | meinem | meiner | meinem | meinen |
| Genitive | meines | meiner | meines | meiner |
Note: euer (your - plural) drops the second e and becomes eur + ending:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | eurer | eure | eurs | eure |
| Accusative | euren | eure | eurs | eure |
| Dative | eurem | eurer | eurem | euren |
| Genitive | eures | eurer | eures | eurer |
Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns
Understanding the difference between possessive adjectives and pronouns can be tricky. Possessive adjectives always come before a noun, while possessive pronouns replace the entire noun phrase.
| Adjective | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Das ist mein Buch. (That is my book.) | Das Buch ist meins. (The book is mine.) |
| Ich sehe deine Katze. (I see your cat.) | Die Katze ist deine. (The cat is yours.) |
| Er fährt mit seinem Auto. (He drives with his car.) | Er fährt mit seinem. (He drives with his.) |
| Wir lieben unser Haus. (We love our house.) | Das Haus ist unsers. (The house is ours.) |
| Das sind ihre Bücher. (Those are her books.) | Die Bücher sind ihre. (The books are hers.) |
Key difference: Possessive pronouns have different endings than possessive adjectives because they follow the pattern of strong adjective endings (like der/die/das).
Formal Sie Forms
The formal "you" (Sie) has its own possessive forms. These are always capitalized to distinguish them from ihr (her/their).
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ihrer | Ihre | Ihrs | Ihre |
| Accusative | Ihren | Ihre | Ihrs | Ihre |
| Dative | Ihrem | Ihrer | Ihrem | Ihren |
Remember: Ihr- (capitalized) = formal "your/yours", while ihr- (lowercase) = her/their/theirs.