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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn Dutch possessive pronouns like mijn (my), jouw (your), zijn (his), haar (her), and ons/onze (our) to express ownership and relationships clearly in daily conversations.
  1. Ons is used with het-woorden, onze with de-woorden.
  2. Uw is the formal form of jouw.
SubjectBezittelijk voornaamwoord
IkMijn 
Jij/jeJouw / je 
UUw 
HijZijn
Zij/zeHaar
Wij/weOnze / ons
JullieJullie
Zij/zeHun

Exercise 1: De bezittelijke voornaamwoorden (mijn, jouw, zijn,...)

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

zijn, mijn, onze, Mijn, jouw, jullie, haar

1.
Jullie ontmoeten ... familie in België.
(You meet your family in Belgium.)
2.
Hij heeft ... telefoon verloren.
(He has lost his phone.)
3.
Waar is ... tas gebleven?
(Where has your bag gone?)
4.
Ik ga naar ... opa vandaag.
(I am going to my granddad today.)
5.
... broer woont in Nederland.
(My brother lives in the Netherlands.)
6.
Wij gaan met ... auto naar Spanje.
(We are going to Spain by car.)
7.
Ze steekt ... boek in de tas.
(She puts her book in the bag.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Dit is ___ moeder en haar naam is Anne.

(This is ___ mother and her name is Anne.)

2. ___ broer werkt in Amsterdam.

(___ brother works in Amsterdam.)

3. Wij houden van ___ familie.

(We love ___ family.)

4. Hij zoekt ___ sleutels.

(He is looking for ___ keys.)

5. Heb jij ___ kinderen gezien?

(Have you seen ___ children?)

6. ___ huis is groot en gezellig.

(___ house is big and cozy.)

Possessive Pronouns in Dutch

This lesson covers the use of possessive pronouns in Dutch, which indicate ownership or relationships between people and things. These pronouns are similar to English words like "my," "your," and "his." In Dutch, possessive pronouns adapt depending on the subject and sometimes the noun they describe.

Table of Possessive Pronouns

SubjectPossessive Pronoun
IkMijn
Jij/jeJouw / je
UUw
HijZijn
Zij/zeHaar
Wij/weOnze / ons
JullieJullie
Zij/ze (plural)Hun

Key Points to Remember

  • Mijn: means "my." Example: Dit is mijn moeder. (This is my mother.)
  • Jouw / je: both mean "your" in informal context. Example: Jouw broer werkt in Amsterdam. (Your brother works in Amsterdam.)
  • Uw: formal "your." Used when addressing someone respectfully.
  • Zijn: means "his." Example: Hij zoekt zijn sleutels. (He is looking for his keys.)
  • Haar: means "her."
  • Onze / ons: both mean "our," but ons is used with neuter nouns (het-words) and onze with common gender nouns (de-words). Example: Ons huis is groot. (Our house is big.) Onze familie is leuk. (Our family is nice.)
  • Jullie: means "your" (plural). Used when addressing multiple people.
  • Hun: means "their."

Differences Between English and Dutch Possessive Pronouns

While English possessive pronouns remain the same regardless of the noun's gender, Dutch possessive pronouns can change according to the gender and number of the noun they describe, especially for "our" where ons and onze are used differently based on whether the noun is a het-woord (neuter) or a de-woord (common gender). Also, Dutch formally distinguishes polite "you" with uw, which does not exist in English.

Useful Dutch phrases with possessive pronouns include:

  • Dit is mijn boek. (This is my book.)
  • Heb jij jouw sleutels? (Do you have your keys?)
  • Wij houden van onze familie. (We love our family.)
  • Hij zoekt zijn jas. (He is looking for his coat.)

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 10:30