English possessive are words like ours, yours, his, hers, mine, or theirs. They are pronouns, since they replace a , but they are also possessive, because they show you who owns the noun.
That drink is my drink. → That drink is mine.
That drink is your drink. → That drink is yours.
In this post, we talk all about possessive pronouns in English. First, we’ll talk about what possessive pronouns are, how to decide which one to use, and what makes them different from possessive adjectives (my, your, her, their, etc.). Then we’ll talk about the different ways to use possessive adjectives in English sentences.
Possessive adjectives are a great way to simplify your writing and speaking in English. Want to learn how? Let’s get started!
Possessive pronouns are words like mine, yours, or ours. They replace a noun and tell you who owns the noun. Here is an example.
I didn’t have my textbook, so Luna gave me hers.
= Luna gave me her textbook.
In this sentence, hers is a possessive pronoun. It replaces a noun (textbook) and it tells us who owns the noun (Luna).
It’s easy to confuse possessive pronouns with another kind of word called possessive adjectives (my, your, her, his,...)
Possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives both come from pronouns and show who owns something, but these two kinds of words are not the same. You can read more about this below.
There are six possessive pronouns in English:
Subject pronoun | Possessive pronoun | Possessive adjective |
|---|---|---|
I | mine | my |
you | yours | your |
he | his | his |
she | hers | her |
it | - | its |
we | ours | our |
they | theirs | their |
Check out this printable version of the chart above with examples!
Did you notice that there is no possessive pronoun for it? Even though we use its as a possessive adjective (before a noun), we do not use its as a possessive pronoun.
✅ The tree lost its leaves.
❌ The leaves on the ground are its.
Instead, rephrase the sentence!
We always use the possessive pronoun that matches the owner(s). So, you can use mine for anything you (the speaker) own. It doesn’t matter if you own one thing or many things, you’ll always use mine.
I have a dog. The dog is mine.
I have four chickens. They are mine.
I tell my cat, “you are mine.”
Here are some more examples. Do you see how the possessive pronoun always matches the owner(s)?
She has a stallion. He is hers.
We have a big house. The house is ours.
I am their child. I am theirs.
Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) are very similar to English possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their). Both types of words come from pronouns and both types of words can tell you who owns something. But the difference between them is that possessive pronouns replace nouns, but possessive adjectives come before nouns.
Because possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) replace a noun, they cannot come before a noun.
❌ That is mine hat.
✅ That hat is mine.
Because possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) do not replace a noun, they still need to come before a noun, so that we can know what someone owns.
✅ That is my hat.
❌ That hat is my.
Possessive pronouns replace nouns in a sentence, just like other kinds of pronouns do. Just like other pronouns, we only use a possessive pronoun if the kind of noun we are talking about is already clear.
We usually use possessive pronouns to replace phrases with this structure:
possessive adjective
noun phrase
possessive pronoun
her horse → hers
owner + ’s
noun phrase
possessive pronoun
Lucy's horse → hers
Here are some examples. Do you notice how possessive pronouns make your sentences simpler?
My horse is taller than Lucy's horse.
My horse is taller than her horse.
My horse is taller than hers.
Your summer plans sound just as exciting as my summer plans!
Your summer plans sound just as exciting as mine!
Those are my sneakers. They are not your sneakers.
Those are my sneakers. They are not yours.
My book is on the chair, but her book is on the table.
My book is on the chair, but his is on the table.
My dad’s apartment is on Maple Road, but our apartment is on First Street.
My dad’s apartment is on Maple Road, but ours is on First Street.
My cat loves dry food, but their cat only eats wet food.
My cat loves dry food, but theirs only eats wet food.
Did you notice that in the sentences above, we are comparing two people's possessions? This is one of the most common ways to use possessive pronouns in English.
We most commonly use of + possessive pronoun to indicate the possessor of an indefinite noun. Recall that a noun is indefinite when the noun is either nonspecific or unfamiliar to the person you are talking to.
a friend of mine
= a friend that I have
some friends of mine
= some friends that I have
This phrasing is helpful, because when you use a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, ...) we always understand that the noun is instead:
my friend
= the friend that I have
my friends
= the friends that I have
Let’s compare the two patterns:
I told Lucy, “A friend of mine is coming for lunch.”
I told Lucy, “My friend is coming for lunch.”
I told Lucy, “Marcus told me about some ideas of his.”
I told Lucy, “Marcus told me about his ideas.”
We do not use English object pronouns after of to express possession, only possessive pronouns:
✅ A friend of mine
❌ A friend of me
Other uses of of + possessive pronoun:
After a noun with an English quantifying adjective that is not some. This lets us talk about a group of similar things that are owned by a single person.
Every hat of his is blue!
A few friends of hers are coming for lunch.
After a noun with an English demonstrative adjective, to show that we feel strong emotions about the noun:
That cat of hers ate my plant again!
Those children of yours are always so polite!
This hair of mine never stays up!
Here are some of the things we talked about in this post.
In English, the six possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs.
Possessive pronouns show who owns something but also avoid repeating information we already know.
A possessive pronoun usually replaces a possessive phrase like Lucy’s horse or her horse.
Sometimes we use noun + of + possessive pronoun to show who owns something if the person we are speaking to doesn’t know anything.
Think you got it? Then it’s time to practice! Try out the English possessive pronouns activities we’ve made for you. Or review what you’ve learned with the printable version of the possessive pronoun chart. Happy learning!
