Key points about possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership eg my, your, his, our.
They are used before a A nouns can also be described as a naming word. They are the names of people, places or objects. eg my book, your pen, our dog.
German possessive adjectives must be To decline means to change the ending of a noun, adjective, article or pronoun to show their gender, number and case. to agree with the Nouns in German are classified into three groups: masculine, feminine or neuter. Each noun therefore has a gender., The case shows how nouns function in a sentence and relate to other words. They indicate who is doing an action, who owns something and who is affected by an action. and number of the noun.
Possessive adjectives work in the same way as the The indefinite article means ‘a’ or ‘an’. The indefinite article changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter or plural.ein and use the same endings.
Check your understanding
Using possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives are the same as possessive nouns in German. They are used to show to whom something belongs.
Possessive adjectives must match the All nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter., Number refers to whether a noun is singular or plural. and The case shows how nouns function in a sentence and relate to other words. They indicate who is doing an action, who owns something and who is affected by an action. A preposition can also indicate which case to use. of the noun.
The possessive adjectives are:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | my |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | your (singular, informal) |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | his |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | her |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | its |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | our |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | your (plural) |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | their |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | your (formal) |
The German possessive adjectives take the same endings as the The indefinite article means ‘a’ or ‘an’. The indefinite article changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter or plural.ein:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
| accusative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
| genitive | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
| dative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
These endings also apply to dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr and Ihr. However, when using euer in the your (plural) it is shortened to eure Mutteryour mother, rather than euere.
Activity
Choose the correct possessive adjective.
Declining possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives are declined in the same way as ein.
To work out which possessive adjective is needed, first work out what role the noun plays in the sentence. Is it the The subject is the person performing the action eg I, you, he, we. or a The direct object is the noun receiving the action.? This determines which case is needed.
The gender and number of the noun is also needed.
For example:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - My brother has black hair.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - Our cat is quite shy.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| accusative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I can’t find my pen.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - She took his book.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dative | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - The dog is sleeping on your bed.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - She played video games with her brother.
Typing activity
Type the correct possessive adjective.
Mini quiz
Listen to what is said in German and then translate the sentence into English.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
My sister broke her new phone.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
I get along well with my stepfather.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
He doesn’t like doing his homework.
Quiz
Complete this multiple-choice quiz to text your understanding of possessive adjectives.
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