B1 · Pronouns
meins, deins, seins
Das ist nicht mein Buch, das ist deins.
When the noun is left out, the possessive takes the der-endings instead.
A possessive standing in front of a noun follows the ein-pattern, so it is bare in three forms: mein Buch, mein Bruder. Standing alone with no noun after it, it has to carry the marking itself and switches to the der-endings: Das ist meins, Das ist meiner.
The neuter form contracts in speech: meines becomes meins, deines becomes deins, seines becomes seins. Both spellings are correct and the short one is what people say and write in anything informal.
German has no separate set of words for this, unlike English "mine, yours, his". The same nine possessives simply change their endings, which is one fewer thing to learn and one more table to keep straight.
Die Form
| vor dem Nomen | mein Buch, meine Tasche |
| allein, Maskulinum | Das ist meiner. |
| allein, Femininum | Das ist meine. |
| allein, Neutrum | Das ist meins. |
| allein, Plural | Das sind meine. |
| mit Artikel, förmlich | der meine, die Ihre |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
With no noun following, the possessive takes the der-endings.
Ist das dein Schirm? — Ja, das ist meiner.Is that your umbrella? — Yes, that is mine.
The neuter -es contracts to -s in ordinary use.
Das Auto da ist seins.That car over there is his.
The case still comes from the sentence.
Ich nehme meinen, du nimmst deinen.I will take mine, you take yours.
A formal alternative adds the article.
Ist das der Ihre?Is that yours?
Genauer hingesehen
The same shift happens elsewhere
This is not a rule about possessives; it is a rule about German determiners in general. Kein does the same: Ich habe kein Auto in front of a noun, Ich habe keins alone. Welcher and dieser already have the endings and change nothing.
The principle behind all of it is that the case and gender have to be shown once somewhere in the phrase. If a noun and an article are both present, the article does it. If one of them is missing, whatever is left takes over — which is also exactly why adjectives change their endings depending on what stands in front of them.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the answer is about belonging rather than identifying
German prefers a dative pronoun after gehören.
Wem gehört der Schlüssel? — Mir.Whose key is it? — Mine.
Gehören takes a dative object, so no possessive is needed at all.
-
a written text wants a formal tone
the article form appears: der meine, die Ihren.
Grüße an die Ihren.Regards to your family.
It is correct, old-fashioned and mostly found in letters and literature.
Woran man es erkennt
- meiner
- meins
- deins
- seins
- ihrer
- unserer
- wem
Beispielsätze
Das ist nicht mein Platz, das ist deiner.That is not my seat, it is yours.
Meins ist kaputt.Mine is broken.
Ihre Wohnung ist größer als unsere.Their flat is bigger than ours.
Nimm meinen, ich brauche ihn nicht.Take mine, I do not need it.
Wem gehört das? — Mir.Whose is this? — Mine.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
Ist der Mantel deiner?Is the coat yours?
Unser Zug fährt später als eurer.Our train leaves later than yours.
Ich habe keins mehr.I have not got any left.
Ihre ist blau, meine ist rot.Hers is blue, mine is red.
Das Handy da ist seins.That phone over there is his.
Er hat seinen vergessen.He has forgotten his.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
No apostrophe, ever
The short forms are written <z>meins, deins, seins</z> with no apostrophe. Writing "mein’s" is a common German mistake with an English source, and the same applies to the contracted articles: <z>ins</z> and <z>ans</z> have never carried one.
-
Meins is also a whole sentence
Children claim things with a single word — <z>Meins!</z> — exactly as English children say "mine". It is one of the few places where the two languages line up perfectly in this area.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The bare form dein only exists in front of a noun. Standing alone it has nothing to lean on, so it takes the neuter ending that das would have had: deins. The same applies to the masculine — Das ist meiner, not "mein" — and this is the form learners drop most often, because English "mine" and "yours" give no clue that an ending is missing.
No noun after it: the possessive wears der’s ending.
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