German · A1 · Everyday language
Playdate At Home in German
Practise talking about shared belongings during a playdate. German possessive words show who something belongs to and change their endings to match the noun.
What you'll learn
- Say who cups, bags, shoes and other belongings belong to.
- Use German words for my, your, his, her, our, their and its.
- Recognise simple possessive endings with singular and plural nouns.
German phrases for playdate at home
Meine Tasse ist hier.
My cup is here.
Tasse is feminine: die Tasse. Use meine.
Dein Freund ist hier.
Your friend is here.
Dein is informal, for speaking to one person. For a female friend, say: Deine Freundin ist hier.
Seine Schuhe sind nass.
His shoes are wet.
Sein- means his. Schuhe is plural, so use seine.
Ihre Tasche ist rosa.
Her bag is pink.
Ihr- means her here. Tasche is feminine, so use ihre. Rosa means pink.
Unser Spiel liegt bereit.
Our game is ready.
Liegt bereit means the game is set out and ready to use. Spiel is neuter: das Spiel.
Ihre Mäntel sind dort.
Their coats are there.
Ihr- means their here. Mäntel is plural, so use ihre. Context tells you whether ihre means her or their.
Deine Freunde haben ihre Snacks.
Your friends have their snacks.
Deine addresses one person informally. Both Freunde and Snacks are plural, so the possessive words end in -e.
Das Kaninchen ist in seiner Kiste.
The rabbit is in its box.
Kaninchen is neuter, so its is expressed with sein-. In seiner Kiste uses the dative case because it describes a location.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Tasse
the cup
Plural: die Tassen.
der Freund / die Freundin
the male friend / the female friend
Die Freunde can refer to male friends or a mixed group. Die Freundinnen refers to female friends.
der Schuh
the shoe
Plural: die Schuhe. Nass means wet.
der Mantel
the coat
Plural: die Mäntel. Notice the change from a to ä.
das Spiel
the game
Plural: die Spiele.
das Kaninchen
the rabbit
The grammatical gender is neuter, whether the animal is male or female.
die Kiste
the box
A box or crate used to hold things.
Choose the word for the owner
Start with the possessive word that matches the owner. German ihr- can mean either her or their. These words take endings depending on the noun and its role in the sentence.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| my | mein- | meine Tasse — my cup |
| your: one person, informal | dein- | dein Freund — your friend |
| his / its | sein- | seine Schuhe — his shoes |
| her | ihr- | ihre Tasche — her bag |
| our | unser- | unser Spiel — our game |
| their | ihr- | ihre Mäntel — their coats |
Match the ending to the noun
When the noun is the subject, use no extra ending for masculine or neuter singular nouns. Add -e for feminine singular nouns and all plurals. Location expressions can require different endings.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine subject | dein + Freund | Dein Freund ist hier. |
| Neuter subject | unser + Spiel | Unser Spiel liegt bereit. |
| Feminine subject | meine + Tasse | Meine Tasse ist hier. |
| Plural subject | seine + Schuhe | Seine Schuhe sind nass. |
| Location: in a feminine noun | in seiner + Kiste | Das Kaninchen ist in seiner Kiste. |
More examples
Deine Tasche ist hier.
Your bag is here.
Tasche is feminine, so dein becomes deine.
Unsere Schuhe sind dort.
Our shoes are there.
Schuhe is plural, so unser becomes unsere. Use sind with a plural subject.