Possessive Articles: Nominative & Accusative
How to decline possessive articles (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer) in nominative and accusative cases.
Overview
Possessive articles show ownership: my, your, his, her, our, their. In German, they decline like ein/kein — same endings, same pattern.
| Pronoun | Possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mein | my |
| du | dein | your (informal) |
| er | sein | his |
| sie | ihr | her |
| es | sein | its |
| wir | unser | our |
| ihr | euer | your (plural) |
| sie | ihr | their |
| Sie | Ihr | your (formal) |
The ending depends on the gender and case of the noun that follows — not on the gender of the possessor.
Nominative Case
The nominative is used for the subject and after sein/werden/bleiben.
Mein Bruder wohnt in Berlin. — My brother lives in Berlin.
Nominative Possessive Endings
| Gender | Ending | Example (mein) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | – (no ending) | mein Vater |
| Feminine | -e | meine Mutter |
| Neuter | – (no ending) | mein Kind |
| Plural | -e | meine Kinder |
This pattern applies to all possessives: dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr.
Accusative Case
The accusative is used for the direct object and after accusative prepositions.
Ich besuche meinen Bruder. — I'm visiting my brother.
Accusative Possessive Endings
| Gender | Ending | Example (mein) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -en | meinen Vater |
| Feminine | -e | meine Mutter |
| Neuter | – (no ending) | mein Kind |
| Plural | -e | meine Kinder |
Key Change
Only masculine changes in the accusative: add -en. All other forms stay the same as nominative.
The euer Exception
When euer takes an ending, the -e- before -r is dropped:
| Form | Expected | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| euer + -e | eure | |
| euer + -en | euren |
Examples:
- Eure Mutter ist nett. (your mother — feminine nominative)
- Ich sehe euren Vater. (your father — masculine accusative)
Common Patterns
Full Declension Example
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Das ist sein Hund. | Er hat seinen Hund. |
| Feminine | Das ist seine Katze. | Er hat seine Katze. |
| Neuter | Das ist sein Auto. | Er hat sein Auto. |
| Plural | Das sind seine Bücher. | Er hat seine Bücher. |
Possessor Gender vs. Noun Gender
The possessive stem depends on who owns it. The ending depends on what is owned:
- Sein Buch (his book) — sein because the owner is male; no ending because Buch is neuter nominative.
- Ihre Tasche (her bag) — ihr because the owner is female; -e because Tasche is feminine.
Tips
- Possessives decline like ein/kein — learn one pattern, use it for all.
- Only masculine changes in accusative: add -en (mein → meinen, dein → deinen, etc.).
- euer drops -e- before endings: eure, euren (not euere, eueren).
- Don't confuse ihr (her), ihr (their), and Ihr (formal your) — the endings are identical, only context and capitalization differ.