/Pronouns
A1Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

1

What is it?

Possessive pronouns show ownership and stand ALONE (without a noun after). They are: MINE, YOURS, HIS, HERS, OURS, THEIRS. They replace "possessive adjective + noun": "my book" → "mine" / "your car" → "yours". Use them to avoid repeating the noun: "This is my book" → "This book is mine" or just "This is mine." Note: HIS is the same for both adjective and pronoun. There's NO "its" as a pronoun (its = adjective only). ITS without apostrophe = possessive adjective, IT'S with apostrophe = it is.

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
I → mineThis book is mine. / This is mine.This isn't mine.Is this mine?
you → yoursThis car is yours. / This is yours.This isn't yours.Is this yours?
he → hisThis phone is his. / This is his.This isn't his.Is this his?
she → hersThis bag is hers. / This is hers.This isn't hers.Is this hers?
we → oursThis house is ours. / This is ours.This isn't ours.Is this ours?
they → theirsThis dog is theirs. / This is theirs.This isn't theirs.Is this theirs?
  • • Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (stand ALONE, no noun after)
  • • Replace possessive adjective + noun → my book = mine / your car = yours
  • • I → mine | you → yours | he → his | she → hers | we → ours | they → theirs
  • • HIS: same for adjective and pronoun → his book (adj) / This is his. (pronoun)
  • • No 'its' as pronoun! → its = possessive adjective only (The dog wagged its tail.)
  • • IT'S (apostrophe) = it is / ITS (no apostrophe) = possessive adjective
  • • Always stand alone → 'This is mine.' ✓ | 'This is mine book.' ✗
  • • After 'of' → a friend of mine, a book of yours, that dog of theirs
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    Possessive pronouns stand alone (no noun after)

    "This is mine." / "The book is yours." / "The car is his." / "The house is ours." / "That dog is theirs."

  2. 2

    Replace possessive adjective + noun (to avoid repetition)

    "This is my book." → "This book is mine." OR "This is mine." / "That's your car." → "That car is yours."

  3. 3

    After verb "to be" (is, are, was, were)

    "This pen is mine." / "Those keys are yours." / "The idea was his." / "The victory is ours."

  4. 4

    After "of" — a friend of mine/yours/his/hers/ours/theirs

    "He's a friend of mine." / "She's a colleague of yours." / "That dog of theirs is loud."

  5. 5

    HIS — same for both adjective and pronoun

    Adjective: "his book" | Pronoun: "The book is his." / "This is his."

4

Common mistakes

This is mine book.

This is my book. OR This book is mine. OR This is mine.

Possessive pronouns stand alone. Don't put a noun after them. Use 'my book' or 'mine' alone.

The book is my.

The book is mine.

Use possessive pronoun 'mine' after verb 'to be', not possessive adjective 'my'.

Its broken. (it is broken)

It's broken. (it is = it's with apostrophe)

IT'S (apostrophe) = it is / ITS (no apostrophe) = possessive adjective. There's no possessive pronoun 'its'.

This is her.

This is hers. (possessive) OR This is her. (object pronoun, meaning 'this is the person')

For possessions, use 'hers' (possessive pronoun), not 'her' (object pronoun).

5

Quick reference

  • Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (stand alone)
  • I → mine | you → yours | he → his | she → hers | we → ours | they → theirs
  • Stand alone (no noun) → This is mine. / The book is yours.
  • Replace: my book = mine / your car = yours / their house = theirs
  • After 'to be' → This is mine. / The pen is yours.
  • After 'of' → a friend of mine / a book of yours
  • HIS: same both ways → his book (adj) / This is his. (pronoun)
  • No 'its' pronoun! → IT'S = it is | ITS = possessive adjective
6

Natural conversation example

Finding lost items

T

Tom

Is this pen yours?
L

Lisa

No, it's not mine. Maybe it's John's.
T

Tom

John, is this pen yours?
J

John

Yes! That's mine. Thank you!
L

Lisa

And this bag? Is it hers?
T

Tom

No, that bag is ours. We bought it yesterday.
J

John

And those keys are theirs, I think.

Practice Exercises

Complete with possessive pronouns.

  1. 1.
    This book is . (my)
  2. 2.
    The car is . (your)
  3. 3.
    The phone is . (his)
  4. 4.
    The bag is . (her)
  5. 5.
    The house is . (our)
  6. 6.
    The dog is . (their)
Subject and Object PronounsAll TopicsPossessive Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives

Now use Possessive Pronouns in real conversation

Grammar sticks when you use it out loud. Practise with an AI tutor who gives you instant feedback.

Speak with AI Tutor