In English, possessive adjectives like my, your, or his stay exactly the same no matter what noun follows them. You say "my dog," "my car," "my sister" — the word my never changes.
German works differently. Possessive articles — also called possessive determiners — must agree with both the owner (who possesses the thing) and the noun being possessed (its gender and case). That sounds like a lot to juggle, but there is a clean two-step system that makes it manageable.
At A1 level, you need to handle the Nominative (subject) and Accusative (direct object) cases. Master those and you have the foundation for everything else.
Step 1 — Identify the Owner
Every personal pronoun has its own possessive base. Think of the base as the root word — it tells you who owns something. Nothing is attached to the end yet; that comes in Step 2.
| Personal Pronoun | English | Possessive Base |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | mein- |
| du | you (informal singular) | dein- |
| er | he | sein- |
| sie | she | ihr- |
| es | it | sein- |
| wir | we | unser- |
| ihr | you (informal plural) | euer- |
| sie / Sie | they / you (formal) | ihr- / Ihr- |
Step 2 — Add the Ending (Nominative)
Once you know the possessive base, you attach an ending that reflects the gender of the noun being possessed. In the Nominative case — where the possessive article introduces the subject of the sentence — the rule is simple:
mein Hund (my dog — masculine)
mein Auto (my car — neuter)
meine Katze (my cat — feminine)
meine Kinder (my children — plural)
Here are those rules in action with the full set of owners:
| Owner | Masculine (der) | Neuter (das) | Feminine (die) | Plural (die) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | mein | meine | meine |
| du | dein | dein | deine | deine |
| er / es | sein | sein | seine | seine |
| sie (she) | ihr | ihr | ihre | ihre |
| wir | unser | unser | unsere | unsere |
| ihr (you pl.) | euer | euer | eure | eure |
| sie / Sie (they / formal you) | ihr / Ihr | ihr / Ihr | ihre / Ihre | ihre / Ihre |
The Accusative Case — One Change Only
When the owned noun is the direct object of the sentence (receiving the action), you are in the Accusative case. The good news: almost nothing changes from the Nominative.
There is exactly one difference: masculine nouns take the ending -en instead of no ending. Feminine, neuter, and plural stay identical to their Nominative forms.
| Gender | Nominative (Subject) | Accusative (Direct Object) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (der) | mein Hund | meinen Hund |
| Neuter (das) | mein Auto | mein Auto |
| Feminine (die) | meine Katze | meine Katze |
| Plural (die) | meine Kinder | meine Kinder |
Compare the two cases in real sentences:
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Mein Bruder ist hier. | My brother is here. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe meinen Bruder. | I see my brother. |
| Nominative | Dein Hund schläft. | Your dog is sleeping. |
| Accusative | Du kaufst deinen Hund. | You are buying your dog. |
Spelling Exceptions: euer and unser
Two possessive bases need a little extra attention when endings are added to them.
euer Hund (masc.) — no ending, no change
eure Katze (fem.) — the inner e disappears
euer Auto (neut.) — no ending, no change
euren Hund (masc. acc.) — inner e drops
unser Hund (masc.) — no ending
unsere Katze (fem.) — add -e
unser Auto (neut.) — no ending
unseren Hund (masc. acc.) — add -en
Full Cheat Sheet — Nominative & Accusative
Here is the complete reference table for all owners across both cases. Drag or scroll horizontally on smaller screens. The only Accusative changes are the masculine column — highlighted in red.
NOMINATIVE (subject)
| Owner | Masculine (der) | Neuter (das) | Feminine (die) | Plural (die) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | mein | meine | meine |
| du | dein | dein | deine | deine |
| er / es | sein | sein | seine | seine |
| sie (she) | ihr | ihr | ihre | ihre |
| wir | unser | unser | unsere | unsere |
| ihr (you pl.) | euer | euer | eure | eure |
| sie / Sie | ihr / Ihr | ihr / Ihr | ihre / Ihre | ihre / Ihre |
ACCUSATIVE (direct object) — only masculine changes
| Owner | Masculine (den) ← changes | Neuter (das) | Feminine (die) | Plural (die) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | meinen | mein | meine | meine |
| du | deinen | dein | deine | deine |
| er / es | seinen | sein | seine | seine |
| sie (she) | ihren | ihr | ihre | ihre |
| wir | unseren | unser | unsere | unsere |
| ihr (you pl.) | euren | euer | eure | eure |
| sie / Sie | ihren / Ihren | ihr / Ihr | ihre / Ihre | ihre / Ihre |
Quick Practice
Fill in the correct possessive article for each sentence, then press Check Answers.
Fill in the possessive article
Type the full possessive article (e.g. mein, deine, seinen) — check the gender and case hint if you need a nudge.
-
1 Das ist Bruder.(ich → mein- · masculine · Nominative) — That is my brother.
-
2 Ist das Katze?(du → dein- · feminine · Nominative) — Is that your cat?
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3 Er liebt Hund.(er → sein- · masculine · Accusative) — He loves his dog.
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4 Das ist Auto.(wir → unser- · neuter · Nominative) — That is our car.
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5 Wo ist Mutter?(ihr plural → euer- → eure · feminine · Nominative) — Where is your mother?
Study Tips
Three habits that will make possessive articles feel automatic faster than you expect.
- 1 Learn nouns with their gender from the start. You cannot pick the right possessive article ending without knowing whether a noun is der, die, or das. Write every new noun with its article — der Hund, never just Hund.
- 2 Memorise the two-cell rule for Nominative. Masculine and neuter = no ending. Feminine and plural = -e. Once that reflex is automatic, all seven owners fall into the same pattern.
- 3 For Accusative, only watch the masculine. Every time you write a sentence with a direct object, ask: "Is this masculine?" If yes, add -en. If not, write exactly what you would in the Nominative. That single check covers all the Accusative changes you need at A1.