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The possessive adjectives in English attribute to a specific noun a relationship of belonging with respect to the speaker or any other person or referent. This belonging refers to who owns and not to what is possessed, so they necessarily correspond to personal pronouns: my, your, his, her, its, our, your Y their. Just those eight and should not be confused with possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, since the latter replace the noun instead of accompanying it.
Unlike Spanish, adjectives in English They must always occupy a position prior to the noun in the sentence, otherwise the link between the two would not be understood. The exception occurs before copulative verbs as to be (to be / be), because they just attribute conditions to subject of the sentence. But this does not apply to possessive adjectives and in this specific case the use of possessive pronouns is preferred.
Their sense of ownership is often emphasized by adding the word “own" (own). In that case, they can fulfill pronominal functions within the sentence, avoiding the repetition of a noun.
See also: Examples of Sentences with Adjectives in English
Examples of possessive adjectives in English
My (me). It is used to indicate membership in the first person singular (I).
- “My house is nearby” (Me house is close)
- “This is all my fault " (All of this is me guilt)
- “I will go by my own means”(I will attend for my own media)
- “Have you seen my mum? " (Have you seen me mom?)
- “I don’t need your car, I’ll use my own”(I don't need your car, I'll use the my own)
your (you). It is used to indicate belonging to the second person singular (you).
- “your mother was very upset when you arrived " (your mother was very upset when you arrived)
- “Where did you put your trousers?”(Where did you put your pants?)
- "You’ll buy it with you own savings ”(You will buy it with your own savings)
- "Are these your friends? " (Are these your friends?)
- "I won't lend you my toothbrush, you can use your own”(I won't lend you my toothbrush, you can use the your own)
His(his, his). It is used to indicate belonging to the third person singular of the masculine (he).
- “I stole his girlfriend in Highschool times”(I stole its girlfriend when we were in high school)
- “My brother forgot his phone at w} ork again”(My brother forgot its phone in office again).
- “I guess he’ll find his own way”(I guess you will find his own way)
- “Have you met his sister already?”(Have you already met its sister?)
- "Don’t give him any money, let he earn his own” (Don't give him money, let him earn the his own)
Her(his, hers). It is used to indicate belonging to the third person singular of the feminine (she).It should not be confused with the homonymous accusative pronoun (her).
- “Her boyfriend broke with her again” (its boyfriend broke up with her again)
- “Anna decided not to paint her hair again " (Ana decided not to paint its hair again)
- “She found her own perspective on life" (She found his own perspective of life)
- “Are you going to meet her parents? " (Are you going to meet their parents?)
- “She won’t come to the party, she made her own” (She will not come to the party, as she did the his own)
Its(his, of it). It is used to indicate belonging to a third singular neutral person, with no equivalent in Spanish, which refers to animals, things or abstract entities.
- “I see you have taught your Dog its place " (I see you have taught your dog its place)
- “The party recently elected its candidate " (The party recently elected its candidate).
- “I'm sure the Ministry will have its own budget this year”(I'm sure the ministry will have its own budget this year)
- "Is the house getting its mortgage paid this year? " (Will the house have its mortgage paid off this year?)
- “We think the cat will survive on its own” (We think the cat will survive for itself)
Our(our). It is used to indicate belonging to a first person plural (we / us), without regard to gender distinctions.
- “Our main goal is to grow as a Company " (Our main task is to grow as a company)
- “It is our responsibility to keep you safe " (It is our responsibility to keep you safe)
- “We’ll have our own house this summer" (We will have our own home this summer)
- “Haven’t you heard our songs yet?"(Haven't you heard our songs?)
- “We saw the movie and decided to film our own”(We saw the movie and decided to film aour)
your(his, yours and you). It is used to indicate belonging to a second person of the plural (you / you), without distinction of respect or formality.
- “your President is making a fool out of himself " (Your president is making a fool of himself)
- “You Americans are always defending your borders " (You Americans are always defending their borders).
- “We trust you will sort it out on your own terms " (We trust you to solve it in theirown terms)
- "Which of you brought your uniforms for the game? " (Who of you brought their uniforms for the game?)
- "We have a car nearby, but you surely have your own” (We have a car nearby, but surely you will have the his own)
Their(their, theirs). It is used to indicate belonging to a third person plural (they / they), regardless of gender.
- “Girls today are aware of their rights " (Girls today know their rights)
- “British Soldiers lost their youth going to war " (British soldiers lost its youth going to war)
- "South Americans have their own culture " (South Americans have his own culture)
- "Who is helping them with their baggage? " (Who is helping them with its luggage?)
- "The Nazis had their plans for war, and the Allies had their own” (The Nazis had their plans for war, and the Allies had the their own)
Andrea is a language teacher, and on her Instagram account she offers private lessons by video call so that you can learn to speak English.
