German · A2 · Family moment
Whose Is This? in German
Practise sorting out shared belongings politely. Use German possessive pronouns to say “mine,” “yours” and “his” without repeating the name of the item.
What you'll learn
- Offer, request and return belongings using short, friendly phrases.
- Use meinen, deinen and seinen for masculine objects in the accusative.
- Choose feminine, neuter and plural forms to match the belongings being discussed.
- Distinguish the person who owns something from the grammatical gender of the item.
German phrases for whose is this?
Dein Rucksack ist nass; nimm meinen.
Your backpack is wet; take mine.
Rucksack is masculine. Meinen replaces meinen Rucksack as the object of nimm.
Ich finde meinen Helm nicht; darf ich deinen ausleihen?
I cannot find my helmet; may I borrow yours?
Helm is masculine, so “yours” is deinen here. Darf ich …? politely asks permission.
Ben braucht seinen Stift; gib ihm bitte seinen.
Ben needs his pen; please give him his.
Seinen replaces seinen Stift. Ihm means “to him” and identifies the person receiving the pen.
Mein Schlafsack ist wärmer; nimm meinen.
My sleeping bag is warmer; take mine.
Schlafsack is masculine, so use meinen after nimm. Wärmer means “warmer.”
Ich habe meine Jacke; hast du deine?
I have my jacket; do you have yours?
Jacke is feminine. Deine replaces deine Jacke as the object of hast.
Deine Taschenlampe ist kaputt; du kannst meine ausleihen.
Your torch is broken; you can borrow mine.
Taschenlampe is feminine, so “mine” is meine here. Kaputt is an everyday word for “broken.”
Ich brauche ein Notizbuch; darf ich deins benutzen?
I need a notebook; may I use yours?
Notizbuch is neuter. Deins is a common shorter form of deines; both are correct standalone forms.
Leo hat drei Spiele; wir können seine ausleihen.
Leo has three games; we can borrow his.
Seine refers to Leo’s games in the plural. It replaces seine Spiele.
Hear these phrases and practise them
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
der Rucksack
backpack
Masculine: nimm meinen means “take mine.”
der Helm
helmet
Masculine: deinen can mean “yours” when referring to a helmet.
der Stift
pen; pencil
A general word for a writing instrument. Der Kugelschreiber specifically means a ballpoint pen.
der Schlafsack
sleeping bag
Masculine, like Rucksack and Helm.
die Jacke
jacket
Feminine: hast du deine? means “do you have yours?”
die Taschenlampe
torch; flashlight
Feminine: meine can stand for meine Taschenlampe.
das Notizbuch
notebook
A book for writing notes. Neuter: deins means “yours” here.
das Spiel; die Spiele
game; games
Use the plural form seine when referring to his games together.
ausleihen
to borrow; to lend
In these phrases it means “borrow.” After darf or kannst, the infinitive goes at the end.
Possessive pronouns replace a noun
Before a noun, a possessive word means “my,” “your” or “his.” On its own, it means “mine,” “yours” or “his.” Its form still matches the noun it replaces.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With a noun | meinen + masculine noun | Nimm meinen Rucksack. — Take my backpack. |
| Without a noun | meinen | Nimm meinen. — Take mine. |
Accusative forms: mine, yours and his
Use the accusative for the thing being taken, borrowed, used or had. Choose mein- for the speaker’s belongings, dein- for one familiar person’s belongings and sein- for Ben’s or Leo’s belongings. The ending depends on the item’s gender and number, not the owner’s gender.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | meinen / deinen / seinen | Der Helm: Darf ich deinen ausleihen? — The helmet: May I borrow yours? |
| Feminine singular | meine / deine / seine | Die Jacke: Hast du deine? — The jacket: Do you have yours? |
| Neuter singular | meins / deins / seins | Das Notizbuch: Darf ich deins benutzen? — The notebook: May I use yours? |
| Plural, all genders | meine / deine / seine | Die Spiele: Wir können seine ausleihen. — The games: We can borrow his. |
| Alternative neuter forms | meines / deines / seines | Darf ich deines benutzen? — May I use yours? |
Giving: the person and the thing
With geben, the recipient is in the dative, while the thing being given is in the accusative. In gib ihm seinen, ihm identifies the recipient and seinen identifies his pen.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient: to whom? | ihm — to him | Gib ihm bitte den Stift. — Please give him the pen. |
| Thing: what? | seinen — his, replacing seinen Stift | Gib ihm bitte seinen. — Please give him his. |
More examples
Ich habe meinen Helm; hast du deinen?
I have my helmet; do you have yours?
Masculine Helm requires deinen as the accusative standalone form.
Deine Jacke ist nass; nimm meine.
Your jacket is wet; take mine.
Feminine Jacke requires meine, not meinen.
Ben hat ein Notizbuch; du kannst seins benutzen.
Ben has a notebook; you can use his.
Sein- points to Ben as the owner; seins matches the neuter noun Notizbuch.