10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation

Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers German possessive articles in the accusative case. It explains how these articles change based on the gender and number of the noun and which person is speaking. Key examples include "meinen," "deine," and "euren." The lesson highlights important spelling notes and practical usage, helping learners understand how to indicate ownership when the object of an action is involved.
Person (Person)Maskulin (masculine)Feminin (feminine)Neutrum (neuter)Plural (Plural)
Ich (I)meinenmeinemeinmeine
Du (You)deinendeinedeindeine
Er / Es (He / It)seinenseineseinseine
Sie (singular) (She)ihrenihreihrihre
Wir (We)unserenunsereunserunsere
Ihr (Your)eureneureeuereure
Sie (plural) (You (plural))ihrenihreihrihre

Exceptions!

  1. "Euer" loses the -e before it receives an ending: e.g. "euren Vater" (not: "eueren Vater")

Exercise 1: Possessivartikel - Akkusativ

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

unser, euren, mein, deinen, meine, ihre, unseren

1. Sie:
Sie kennt ... Postleitzahl nicht.
(She does not know her postcode.)
2. Ich:
Du gibst ... E-Mail-Adresse.
(You give my email address.)
3. Wir:
Ihr nehmt ... Handy.
(You take our mobile phone.)
4. Ich:
Ich gebe ihr ... Handy.
(I give her my mobile phone.)
5. Du:
Ich sehe ... Kontakt.
(I see your contact.)
6. Ihr:
Sie sprechen über ... Brief.
(You are talking about your letter.)
7. Du:
Ich verstehe ... Bruder.
(I understand your brother.)
8. Wir:
Wir sehen ... Wohnort.
(We see our place of residence.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ich sehe ___ neuen Brief, den mein Kollege geschrieben hat.

(I see ___ new letter that my colleague wrote.)

2. Kannst du mir ___ Adresse geben?

(Can you give me ___ address?)

3. Ich habe ___ neuen Computer gekauft.

(I bought ___ new computer.)

4. Wir mieten ___ Wohnung in der Innenstadt.

(We rent ___ apartment downtown.)

5. Sie sucht ___ Schlüssel, aber sie findet ihn nicht.

(She is looking for ___ key but she can't find it.)

6. Kannst du bitte ___ Stift nehmen?

(Can you please take ___ pen?)

Possessive Articles in the Accusative Case

This lesson introduces possessive articles in the accusative case in German, helping you express ownership when the object of a sentence is affected by an action.

What You Will Learn

  • How possessive articles change according to the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural) of the noun they modify.
  • Specific endings of possessive articles in the accusative case based on the person (e.g., ich, du, er, sie).
  • Notable spelling exceptions, such as how "euer" loses its -e- before adding an ending (e.g., euren Vater instead of eueren Vater).

Examples of Possessive Articles

  • Ich: meinen (masculine), meine (feminine), mein (neuter), meine (plural)
  • Du: deinen, deine, dein, deine
  • Er / Es: seinen, seine, sein, seine
  • Sie (singular): ihren, ihre, ihr, ihre
  • Wir: unseren, unsere, unser, unsere
  • Ihr: euren, eure, euer, eure
  • Sie (plural): ihren, ihre, ihr, ihre

Usage and Function

Possessive articles in the accusative case are used to indicate whose object is being acted upon. For example, in the sentence "Ich sehe meinen neuen Brief," "meinen" shows that the letter belongs to the speaker. The endings reflect the gender and number of the noun "Brief" (masculine singular).

Differences Between English and German

In English, possessive adjectives like "my," "your," and "his" remain the same regardless of the object's case. German changes the possessive forms depending on the case and gender of the noun, making it important to pay attention to these endings. For example, "your father" is "euren Vater" (accusative masculine), whereas the base form "euer" changes by dropping the "e" before the ending.

Useful phrases to practice include meinen Stift (my pen), deine Adresse (your address), and ihren Schlüssel (her/ their key), which highlight how possessive articles adapt in various contexts.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

University_Logo

Last Updated:

Monday, 14/07/2025 22:36