Mein, Dein, Sein: German Possessives

Mein, dein, sein — German has a possessive article for every person, and each one changes its ending depending on the noun's gender. In this lesson, we go through all the German possessive articles, how they decline in the nominative case, and finish with a bonus tip on what happens in other cases.

The German Possessive Articles

ich → mein (my), du → dein (your), er/es → sein (his/its), sie → ihr (her), wir → unser (our), ihr → euer (your, plural), sie/Sie → ihr/Ihr (their/your, formal). Every one of these follows the same declension pattern as ein, which is why they're sometimes called “ein-words.”

Declining Possessive Articles in Nominativ

Like ein, possessive articles take no special ending before masculine and neuter nouns, but add -e before feminine and plural nouns: mein Bruder (masc.), meine Schwester (fem.), mein Kind (neut.), meine Eltern (plural). The same pattern applies to every possessive article: dein Bruder, seine Schwester, unser Kind, eure Eltern. Because the ending always depends on the noun's gender, it helps to be solid on der, die, das first.

Bonus: What Happens in Accusative and Dative

Outside the nominative, possessive articles decline further, exactly like ein: in the accusative, masculine adds -en (meinen Bruder), and in the dative, most forms add -em, -er, or -en (mit meinem Bruder, mit meiner Schwester). The base word (mein-, dein-, sein-...) never changes — only the ending shifts with gender and case.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the German possessive articles?

Mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (her), unser (our), euer (your, plural), and ihr/Ihr (their/your, formal).

How do possessive articles change with gender in Nominativ?

They take no ending before masculine and neuter nouns (mein Bruder, mein Kind), and add -e before feminine and plural nouns (meine Schwester, meine Eltern).

Why are possessive articles called “ein-words”?

Because they follow the exact same declension pattern as the indefinite article ein, just with a different base (mein-, dein-, sein-...).

How does “mein” change in the accusative case?

Before a masculine noun, mein becomes meinen, e.g. Ich sehe meinen Bruder.

Does the possessive article's ending depend on the owner or the noun?

The base (mein-, dein-, sein-) depends on the owner, but the ending depends entirely on the gender and case of the noun that follows it.

Ready to put possessive articles into full sentences across every case? Our A1 German course walks you through it step by step.