Possessive Articles in Nominative

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Possessive articles show ownership or relationships between people and things. In the nominative case, they agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify, not with the possessor.

Possessive Articles im Nominative Overview

PronounMasculine/NeuterFeminine/Plural
ich (I)meinmeine
du (you, informal singular)deindeine
er/es (he/it)seinseine
sie (she)ihrihre
wir (we)unserunsere
ihr (you, informal plural)euereure
sie/Sie (they/you, formal)ihr/Ihrihre/Ihre

Gender and Number Agreement

Possessive articles change their endings based on the gender and number of the noun they modify:

Masculine (der)

  • mein Vater (my father)
  • dein Bruder (your brother)
  • sein Hund (his dog)

Feminine (die)

  • meine Mutter (my mother)
  • deine Schwester (your sister)
  • ihre Katze (her cat)

Neuter (das)

  • mein Kind (my child)
  • dein Auto (your car)
  • sein Haus (his house)

Plural (die)

  • meine Kinder (my children)
  • deine Autos (your cars)
  • ihre Häuser (their houses)

Complete Declension Table

Gender/NumberEndingExample
Masculine-∅ (no ending)mein Vater
Feminine-emeine Mutter
Neuter-∅ (no ending)mein Kind
Plural-emeine Kinder

Special Cases

1. unser (our)

  • Masculine/Neuter: unser Haus (our house)
  • Feminine/Plural: unsere Familie (our family)

2. euer (your - plural informal)

  • Masculine/Neuter: euer Lehrer (your teacher)
  • Feminine/Plural: eure Schule (your school)
  • Note: The ‘e’ before ‘r’ is dropped when adding endings

3. Ihr (formal “your”)

  • Always capitalized in formal contexts
  • Ihr Buch (your book - formal)
  • Ihre Arbeit (your work - formal)

Example Sentences

Familie (Family)

  • Meine Familie ist groß. (My family is big.)
  • Dein Vater ist nett. (Your father is nice.)
  • Ihre Mutter arbeitet. (Her mother works.)

Besitz (Possessions)

  • Sein Auto ist neu. (His car is new.)
  • Unser Haus ist klein. (Our house is small.)
  • Eure Bücher sind interessant. (Your books are interesting.)

Tiere (Animals)

  • Mein Hund heißt Max. (My dog is called Max.)
  • Ihre Katze ist schwarz. (Their cat is black.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Don’t confuse possessor gender with noun gender
    • Ihre Vater (thinking “her father” needs feminine ending)
    • Ihr Vater (correct - “Vater” is masculine)
  2. Remember the special forms
    • euere Schule
    • eure Schule
  3. Formal vs. informal
    • Informal: dein Buch
    • Formal: Ihr Buch (capitalized)

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding of possessive articles in the nominative case. Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive article and ending. Pay attention to gender, number, and formal/informal usage.

  1. _____ Vater liest ein Buch. (her)
  2. _____ Bücher sind interessant. (your - plural informal)
  3. _____ Haus ist alt. (our)
  4. _____ Mutter arbeitet viel. (his)
  5. _____ Katze schläft. (their)
  6. _____ Auto ist schnell. (my)
  7. _____ Arbeit beginnt um neun Uhr. (your - formal)
  8. _____ Schwester wohnt in Berlin. (your - informal singular)
  9. _____ Kinder sind müde. (my)
  10. _____ Lehrer ist freundlich. (your - plural informal)

Answers:

  1. Ihre Vater liest ein Buch.
  2. Eure Bücher sind interessant.
  3. Unser Haus ist alt.
  4. Seine Mutter arbeitet viel.
  5. Ihre Katze schläft.
  6. Mein Auto ist schnell.
  7. Ihre Arbeit beginnt um neun Uhr.
  8. Deine Schwester wohnt in Berlin.
  9. Meine Kinder sind müde.
  10. Euer Lehrer ist freundlich.

Tips for mastering possessive articles:

  • Always match the ending to the noun’s gender and number.
  • Use “Ihr” (capitalized) for formal “your”.
  • For “euer”, drop the “e” before “r” when adding endings (eure Bücher, euer Lehrer).
  • Practice with a variety of nouns and contexts to reinforce the rules.
  • Review mistakes and check which part of the rule was missed.

Study Tips

  • Practice with family members first (meine Mutter, mein Vater, etc.)
  • Remember: the ending depends on the owned thing, not the owner
  • Use flashcards for the different endings
  • Practice switching between formal and informal contexts