What are possessive pronouns in English, and when do you use them?

If you want to talk about what’s yours, what’s hers, and what’s theirs, you need a special type of word: possessive pronouns! They function similarly to other personal pronouns , but there are important differences you'll need to know to use them in English.

In this post:

• What are possessive pronouns in English?
• Complete list of English possessive pronouns
• Mine vs. my, yours vs. your, etc.
• Tips for using possessive pronouns
• Examples of possessive pronouns in English

What are possessive pronouns in English?

If you use a possessive pronoun to replace a noun phrase, it shows who, well, possesses that noun. For example, instead of saying The black cat is Susan’s cat, you could swap out the possessor (Susan) and the noun that is possessed (cat) for a possessive pronoun: The black cat is hers.

Unlike in many other languages, in English, the number of things possessed doesn’t change the possessive pronoun used. So whether you have one cat or 100 cats, you'll use the same possessive pronoun:

• This cat is mine.
• Yes, all one hundred cats are mine.

In English, the possessive pronoun also doesn’t change based on the gender of the noun that is possessed or belongs to somebody. For example, if you’re trying to point out your child in a group of kids to somebody, you’ll use the same possessive pronoun, whether you have a daughter or a son:

• The girl with the red hat is mine.
• The boy with the red hat is mine.

What are the different possessive pronouns in English?

Like other personal pronouns, possessive pronouns change form depending on the grammatical person and number (singular or plural) of the possessor or owner:

You might also hear people use forms like you all’s, y'all’s, yinz’s, and you guys’ for the second person plural in informal language. This can depend on the type of English they speak and where they live. However, yours is the most common possessive pronoun form to address a group of people directly, and you can use it in any situation—formal or informal.

The possessive pronoun theirs is sometimes used when you’re talking about a person whose gender you don’t know or when someone’s gender is irrelevant, like in That person is missing a nametag—is this one theirs? This is also the most common gender-neutral possessive pronoun for referring to someone who is non-binary!

Possessive pronouns vs. possessive adjectives

Another way to talk about possession is by using possessive adjectives like my and your. These have really similar forms to possessive pronouns—sometimes they're even identical—but they are used in different kinds of phrases.

Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, etc.)

Possessive pronouns are used to completely replace a whole noun phrase. They’re used in place of both the possessor (Lily and Lin in the example below) and the noun that is possessed (design in the example below):

Possessive adjectives (my, your, etc.)

Possessive adjectives can only be swapped in for the possessor (Lily and Lin). They are always used with the noun that is possessed (design):

An easy way to know if you need to use a possessive pronoun (like mine) rather than a possessive adjective (like my) is to check for the absence of the noun that is possessed or owned. For example, if you want to replace my aunt’s car in the sentence My aunt’s car is green, you’ll need a possessive pronoun because the noun that’s owned (car) is being replaced, too: Hers is green.

Compare the full list of possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives—notice which forms are different and which are exactly the same:

Tips for using possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns function a lot like other personal pronouns, but there are few extra details to keep in mind:

• Watch for spelling. Most possessive pronoun forms have an -s ending, and it's one way you can tell them apart from possessive adjectives (
  yours
  vs.
  your
  ,
  hers
  vs.
  her
  , etc.).
• Remember the gender of the possessor, not the noun possessed. It doesn’t matter who or what the noun that’s possessed is. Instead, you’ll need to consider the gender of the possessor—but only if it’s in the 3rd person singular! Then you’ll use
  his
  if the possessor is a man,
  hers
  for a woman, and
  theirs
  for someone using neutral pronouns.
• Possessive pronouns replace the whole noun phrase. Unlike in some languages, including Spanish and Portuguese, English possessive pronouns replace an entire noun phrase. This means you’ll never use an article (
  a
  ,
  an
  ,
  the
  ) before a possessive pronoun in English.

Use possessive pronouns with confidence!

To use possessive pronouns in English, take note of their similarities to other personal pronouns and identify how they are used differently compared to your own language.

Examples of possessive pronouns in English

• Bea is so generous with her chocolate, but I never share mine.
• Wait, where is yours?
• No, we didn’t work on his yesterday.
• I read both books, and my favorite part about hers was the ending.
• Yes, it’s true: That slobbery, smiling dog is ours!
• Our delivery arrived on time, but yours didn’t?
• As soon as Lucy and Lin saw the leopard-print couch, they knew it would one day be theirs.