A1-5 · Use mein, dein and Ihr
My family
Introduce family members and choose a possessive word for masculine or feminine nouns.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Meet the family
Learn each family word with its article. Vater and Bruder are masculine; Mutter and Schwester are feminine. These articles will help you choose a possessive ending.
Das ist mein Vater.
This is my father.
Das ist meine Mutter.
This is my mother.
Das ist mein Bruder.
This is my brother.
Das ist meine Schwester.
This is my sister.
Use mein before a masculine noun here and meine before a feminine noun. Das ist can introduce a person of any gender; the possessive ending follows the noun.
02
Ask about someone’s family
Dein means your when speaking to one person informally. It has the same endings as mein in these sentences.
Ist das dein Vater?
Is that your father?
Ist das deine Mutter?
Is that your mother?
Wie heißt dein Bruder?
What is your brother’s name?
Deine Schwester heißt Lea.
Your sister’s name is Lea.
Dein goes with Vater and Bruder. Deine goes with Mutter and Schwester. The endings refer to the family noun, not to the person you are speaking to.
03
Grandparents and polite questions
Großvater and Großmutter mean grandfather and grandmother. When speaking politely with Sie, use Ihr or Ihre for your.
Mein Großvater heißt Paul.
My grandfather’s name is Paul.
Meine Großmutter heißt Eva.
My grandmother’s name is Eva.
Ist das Ihr Bruder?
Is that your brother?
Ist das Ihre Schwester?
Is that your sister?
Polite Ihr and Ihre have a capital I. Use Ihr before masculine nouns here and Ihre before feminine nouns. These examples introduce the singular forms.
Ready to try it?
Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
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