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Understanding German Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in German are words that show ownership. They help us know who something belongs to, just like saying 'my toy' or 'your book' in English.
Basic Possessive Pronouns
Important Points
mein - my
dein - your (singular informal)
sein - his
ihr - her
unser - our
euer - your (plural informal)
Ihr - your (formal)
ihr - their
These pronouns change a little bit depending on the gender of the noun they are describing and whether the noun is singular or plural.
Gender and Case Changes
In German, nouns have genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Possessive pronouns change their endings to match the gender of the noun, as well as the case.
Important Points
Nominative Case: Used for the subject of a sentence.
Accusative Case: Used for the direct object of a sentence.
Dative Case: Used for the indirect object of a sentence.
Examples
Das ist mein Hund. (My dog.)
Ich sehe deinen Ball. (Your ball.)
Er gibt seiner Schwester ein Geschenk. (His sister.)
Possessive Pronouns Endings
The endings of possessive pronouns change based on the case and gender of the noun. Here are some examples:
Important Points
Masculine Nominative: mein Bruder (my brother)
Feminine Nominative: meine Schwester (my sister)
Neuter Nominative: mein Buch (my book)
Plural Nominative: meine Freunde (my friends)
Examples
Das ist unser Haus. (Our house.)
Ich habe ihre Katze gesehen. (Her cat.)
Wir sprechen mit ihrem Lehrer. (Their teacher.)
By using the right possessive pronoun with the correct ending, you can clearly show who owns what in German. Keep practicing, and soon it will become second nature!
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