My or mine? Possessive adjectives and pronouns in English
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her) come before a noun; possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers) replace the noun. The full list, the 's ending with names, and common mistakes.
By Aslıgül Aşkın,
Guide: Grammar. Main post: English tenses: all of them in one table
In English, two groups of words show possession: possessive adjectives go before a noun (“This is my book.”), and possessive pronouns replace the noun and stand alone (“This book is mine.”). Turkish can say both with “benim”, so the choice depends on whether a noun follows.
The list
I: my / mine. You: your / yours. He: his / his. She: her / hers. It: its / –. We: our / ours. They: their / theirs. Example: “Is this your phone?” – “No, it isn't mine. It's hers.”
's with names
To show that something belongs to a person, add 's to the name: “Ali's car”, “my sister's room”. Plural nouns ending in -s take only an apostrophe: “my parents' house”. This form can also stand alone like a pronoun: “Whose bag is this?” – “It's Ayşe's.”
Common mistakes for Turkish speakers
Because Turkish uses “onun” for both men and women, “his” and “her” are often mixed up: say “her mother” when talking about a woman and “his mother” when talking about a man. The second common mistake is mixing “its” and “it's”: “its” shows possession (“The dog wagged its tail.”), while “it's” is short for “it is”.
A short exercise
Write who five things in your home belong to, in two ways: first with a possessive adjective (“This is my mug.”), then with a possessive pronoun (“This mug is mine.”). Use “his” at least once, “her” once, and 's once.
To keep going, see Family members in English and introducing your family and Am, is, are in English: how to use the verb to be.
Frequently asked questions
How is “whose” used?
It asks who owns something: “Whose keys are these?” “Who's” is short for “who is”.
Is “a friend of mine” correct?
Yes. It is a common pattern meaning one of my friends: “She's a friend of mine.”
Related posts
- How to learn English from zero: a step-by-step roadmapTo learn English from zero, start with ready-made sentences and sounds, then basic grammar and vocabulary, then daily listening and speaking. A roadmap of what to focus on at each stage, how long it takes, and which guide to read next.
- Am, is, are in English: how to use the verb to beThe verb “to be” becomes am, is, or are depending on the subject and describes who, what, or where something is. Positive, negative, and question forms, contractions, and common mistakes for Turkish speakers.
- Always, usually, never: adverbs of frequency in EnglishAdverbs of frequency say how often something happens and usually go before the main verb and after “to be”. The most common ones, where they go in a sentence, and the question “How often…?”.