Simple explanation
What are possessive pronouns? Possessive pronouns are words that show who owns something. They replace a noun, so we do not need to repeat the same word. For example, instead of saying “This is my book” and “This book is my book”, we can say “This book is mine”. The main possessive pronouns The most common possessive pronouns at A1 level are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. They mean something belongs to someone. They are used alone and are not followed by a noun. Possessive adjectives vs possessive pronouns Possessive adjectives come before a noun: my phone, your bag, their house. Possessive pronouns replace the noun: The phone is mine. The bag is yours. The house is theirs. Using possessive pronouns in questions We often use possessive pronouns to ask about ownership. Questions like “Is this yours?” help us find the owner of an object.
Grammar formula
Positive sentence
Subject + be + possessive pronounThis is mine.
Question form
Be + subject + possessive pronoun?Is this yours?
Comparison form
Possessive adjective + noun / Possessive pronounMy bag is black. The black bag is mine.
Core rules
- 1
Possessive pronouns replace nouns
After mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs, we do not use a noun. Correct: This book is mine. Incorrect: This is mine book.
- 2
Choose the pronoun based on the owner
The possessive pronoun depends on the person who owns the thing. For example, a man's possession uses his, and a woman's possession uses hers.
- 3
Do not confuse my and mine
My comes before a noun: my laptop. Mine replaces the noun: The laptop is mine.
Useful examples
This book is mine.
This book belongs to me.
Mine replaces the phrase “my book” and stands alone.
Is this phone yours?
Does this phone belong to you?
Yours is used when asking about another person's ownership.
That car is his.
That car belongs to him.
His shows that a man owns something.
The red jacket is hers.
The red jacket belongs to her.
Hers replaces “her jacket”.
This house is ours.
This house belongs to us.
Ours shows ownership by a group including the speaker.
Those books are theirs.
Those books belong to them.
Theirs is used for things owned by other people.
My computer is old, but hers is new.
My computer is old, but her computer is new.
Hers replaces “her computer” to avoid repetition.
Your room is bigger than mine.
Your room is bigger than my room.
Mine replaces “my room”.
I found my keys. They are mine.
I found my keys. They belong to me.
The second sentence avoids repeating “my keys”.
Is this umbrella yours or his?
Does this umbrella belong to you or him?
Possessive pronouns can compare two possible owners.
Common mistakes
- ❌ This is mine book. ✅ This is my book. Mine cannot come before a noun. Use my before a noun.
- ❌ This book is my. ✅ This book is mine. After the verb be, we use the possessive pronoun mine.
- ❌ The bag is her. ✅ The bag is hers. Her needs a noun after it. Hers replaces the noun.
- ❌ This is your's phone. ✅ This is your phone. / This phone is yours. Yours is written without an apostrophe and cannot come before a noun.
- ❌ The house is their. ✅ The house is theirs. Their is a possessive adjective; theirs is the possessive pronoun.
Learning tips
- If a noun comes after the word, use my, your, his, her, our, or their.
- If there is no noun after the word, use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, or theirs.
- Learn possessive pronouns with complete sentences, not only as individual words.
- Think about the owner, not the object, when choosing the correct form.
Practise this topic
Interactive exercises for this topic are coming soon.
PlannedRelated grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between my and mine?
My comes before a noun, such as my book. Mine replaces the noun, such as This book is mine.
Can I say “mine car”?
No. Mine cannot be used before a noun. Say my car or The car is mine.
What are the main possessive pronouns in English?
The main possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs.
Is its a possessive pronoun?
Its is usually used as a possessive adjective before a noun, for example: The dog eats its food.