Day 2: All Possessives and Talking About Family
Overview
Self-Study Topic | Duration: 25–30 minutes
Level: Beginner
OBJECTIVE
By the end of this topic, you will be able to:
✔ Master all possessive pronouns.
✔ Describe family members in detail.
CONTENT
1. Self-check
Regular self-testing helps retain new knowledge and skills. Before proceeding with the new topic, check what you have learned so far.
Task 1
Task 2
2. All Possessive Pronouns
Step 1: Grammatical Explanation
Pattern Rule:
Just like the indefinite article ein/eine/ein/eine, possessive pronouns add:
- No ending for masculine and neuter nouns
- -e for feminine and plural nouns (see below for exceptions
| English | German Base | Masculine (der) | Feminine (die) | Neuter (das) | Plural (die) |
| my | mein- | mein Vater | meine Mutter | mein Kind | meine Kinder |
| your (singular, informal) | dein- | dein Bruder | deine Schwester | dein Kind | deine Kinder |
| his / its | sein- | sein Onkel | seine Tante | sein Kind | seine Kinder |
| her | ihr- | ihr Sohn | ihre Tochter | ihr Kind | ihre Kinder |
| our | unser- | unser Opa | unsere Oma | unser Kind | unsere Kinder |
| your (plural, informal) | euer- | euer Vater | euere/eure Mutter | euer Kind | euere/eure Kinder |
| their | ihr- | ihr Cousin | ihre Cousine | ihr Kind | ihre Kinder |
| your (forma, singular & plural) | Ihr- | Ihr Bruder | Ihre Schwester | Ihr Kind | Ihre Kinder |
Grammar Note:
- euer loses the second e when endings are added: euer Bruder, euren Bruder. For feminine and plural, two forms are possible: euere OR eure Mutter.
- Formal Ihr is always capitalized.
- sein=his, refers to a male owner: Der Mann und sein Auto.
- ihr=her, refers to a female owner: Die Mutter und ihr Kind.
- sein=its, also refers to the neuter gender: Das Kind und sein Bruder.
Examples:
- Das ist sein Hund. (That is his dog.)
- Hier wohnt ihre Familie. (Here lives her family.)
- Unser Haus ist klein. (Our house is small.)
- Wo sind eure Kinder? (Where are your (pl.) children?)
- Ihre Tochter ist sehr klug. (Their daughter / Your (formal) daughter is very smart.)
Step 2: Detailed Examples with Family Vocabulary
- Study the table below.
- Listen to the audio clip to hear the correct pronunciation.
- Stop the audio clip and repeat until you have mastered the pronunciation.
- Learn the possessive pronouns with the family vocabulary by heart.
| Possessive | Singular Example | Plural Example |
| mein- | Das ist mein Vater. | Das sind meine Eltern. |
| dein- | Ist das dein Bruder? | Sind das deine Geschwister? |
| sein- | Sein Sohn heißt Paul. | Seine Kinder sind klein. |
| ihr- | Ihre Mutter ist Ärztin. | Ihre Tanten wohnen in Berlin. |
| unser- | Unser Opa ist alt. | Unsere Großeltern sind gesund. |
| euer- | Euer Onkel kommt heute. | Eure/euere Cousins sind nett. |
| ihr- | Ihr Hund ist süß. | Ihre Katzen sind grau. |
| Ihr- | Ihr Herr Schmidt, ist das Ihr Kind? | Ihre Kinder sind sehr klug. |
Important Usage Notes:
1. Distinguishing “ihr” (her) vs. “ihr” (their) vs. “Ihr” (your formal)
These three look similar but have different meanings:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
| ihr (lowercase) | her | Das ist ihr Bruder. (That is her brother.) |
| ihr (lowercase) | their | Das ist ihr Haus. (That is their house.) |
| Ihr (capitalized) | your (formal) | Ist das Ihr Koffer, Herr Müller? (Is that your suitcase, Mr. Müller?) |
Context tells you which one it is!
2. Possessive Pronouns in the Accusative Case (Preview)
Just like ein becomes einen for the masculine accusative, possessives also change for the masculine:
| Nominative | Accusative (masculine only) | Example |
| mein Bruder | meinen Bruder | Ich sehe meinen Bruder. |
| dein Vater | deinen Vater | Sie liebt deinen Vater. |
| sein Hund | seinen Hund | Er hat seinen Hund. |
(We’ll practice this more in Week 4!)
Step 3: Practice
Exercise 1: Choose the correct possessive form to complete each sentence.
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks.
Exercise 3: Change each sentence from singular to plural. Pay attention to both the possessive and the noun.
Watch our educational video
