Goethe A1 Possessive Articles: mein, dein, sein and ihr
Level:A1Duration:~65 min + 15 min oralFee:Varies by centerValidity:UnlimitedFormat:4 modules
Updated 29 July 2026 · Checked against the official Goethe A1 inventory
A possessive article marks who something belongs to and takes article-like endings before a noun. Goethe’s A1 inventory includes mein, dein, sein, ihr, Ihr, unser and euer. The owner selects the stem; the following noun’s gender, number and case select the ending.
Nominative and accusative
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| mein Vater / meinen Vater | masculine: nom. / acc. |
| meine Mutter / meine Mutter | feminine: unchanged |
| mein Kind / mein Kind | neuter: unchanged |
| meine Freunde / meine Freunde | plural: -e |
| unser Lehrer / unsere Lehrerin | unser stem |
| euer Haus / eure Wohnung | euer + e → eure |
Choosing the owner
| German | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Anna sucht ihren Pass. | Anna is female: ihr-; Pass is masculine accusative: ihren. |
| Paul besucht seine Familie. | Paul is male: sein-; Familie is feminine. |
| Ist das Ihr Formular? | Formal Ihr is capitalised. |
| Wir treffen unsere Freunde. | Our friends: unsere. |
| Wo ist dein Handy? | Your phone: dein. |
Common mistakes
- Choosing sein/ihr from the possessed noun instead of the owner.
- Missing -en in masculine accusative.
- Confusing formal Ihr with third-person ihr.
- Writing euere instead of the standard short form eure.
Use two decisions: Who is the owner? selects the stem; what form is the noun? selects the ending.
Practice with answers
| Task | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ich suche ___ Schlüssel. (mein) | meinen Schlüssel |
| Maria besucht ___ Mutter. (ihr) | ihre Mutter |
| Herr Klein, ist das ___ Pass? | Ihr Pass |
| Wir machen ___ Hausaufgaben. (unser) | unsere Hausaufgaben |
| Habt ihr ___ Tickets? (euer) | eure Tickets |
Official basis
Goethe’s A1 grammar inventory explicitly lists possessive articles and personal pronouns. This guide focuses on the productive nominative and accusative forms needed most at A1.
Related guides
Put the rule into use
Write short sentences about five people or objects using mein, sein, ihr and unser.