Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaLecturasEjercicios de listeningFlash cardsFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogBlog
Possessive Pronouns in English: Mine, Yours, His, Hers, Ours, Theirs
The 6 possessive pronouns in English, with examples and the rule almost everyone breaks: no apostrophe, ever.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
Possessive pronouns in English are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs: they replace an entire noun phrase to show ownership and stand alone, with no noun after them. "This book is mine" doesn't need to say "my book," "mine" already replaces it completely.
Possessive pronouns in English
No apostrophe, ever
The most common mistake with possessive pronouns is adding an apostrophe, treating them like the possessive 's. "Her's," "your's," and "their's" are always wrong, the correct forms are hers, yours, and theirs, with no apostrophe. None of the 6 possessive pronouns ever take one.
There's no possessive pronoun for 'it'
"Its" is the possessive adjective for things ("The dog wagged its tail"), but there's no possessive pronoun form for it. You simply don't use one in that case, you rephrase the sentence with the noun or with "its own."
Possessive pronoun vs. possessive adjective
The possessive adjective goes before a noun: "This is my book." The possessive pronoun replaces the noun completely and stands alone: "This book is mine." You can't combine the two: "This is mine book" is wrong, you either say "my book" or "mine," never both forms together.
A common gender mix-up
In many languages, the possessive pronoun changes based on the gender of the object you own. In English there's no such agreement: the possessive pronoun matches who the owner is, not the object. If Ana is the owner, it's always "hers," no matter what gender the object's translation would carry: "This car is hers," "This house is hers."
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Possessive pronouns replace a possessive adjective plus a noun: "This is my book" becomes "This book is mine." The forms are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. They are useful when the noun is already clear and you do not want to repeat it: "Is this your coat?" "No, mine is the blue one."
Practice possessive pronouns with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Adjective and pronoun, side by side
Using of + possessive pronoun
English has a special pattern with "of": "a friend of mine," "a cousin of hers," "some colleagues of ours." It means one among several, which "my friend" does not say. "She's a friend of mine" suggests one of your friends, and it sounds natural and friendly in conversation.
Examples of possessive pronouns
- Whose phone is this? It's mine.
- The decision is yours, not theirs.
- Their house is bigger than ours.
- I forgot my keys. Can I borrow yours?
- That seat is hers, please sit over there.
A common mistake with possessive pronouns
Incorrect
This book is mine's.
Correct
This book is mine.
possessive pronouns in a real conversation
A: "Excuse me, is this umbrella yours?" B: "No, mine is black. I think it's hers." A: "Oh, you're right. It has her name on it." B: "Great, then it's hers for sure."
Mine versus my: a quick check
If a noun follows, use the adjective: my phone, your idea, their house. If nothing follows, use the pronoun: the phone is mine, the idea is yours, the house is theirs. A simple test is to see if the sentence ends right after the possessive. Ending the sentence with "my" is incorrect, and putting "mine" before a noun is also wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What are the possessive pronouns in English?
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. They replace an entire noun phrase to show ownership and stand alone, with no noun after them.
What are possessive pronouns?
They're pronouns that show who something belongs to without repeating the noun: instead of saying "this is my car," you can say "this car is mine."
Do possessive pronouns take an apostrophe?
No, never. "Her's," "your's," and "their's" are incorrect; the correct forms are always hers, yours, and theirs, with no apostrophe.
What's the difference between a possessive pronoun and a possessive adjective?
The adjective needs a noun after it (my car). The pronoun stands alone because the noun is already understood (mine). Compare "This is my car" with "This car is mine."
Is there a possessive pronoun for 'it'?
No. "Its" only exists as a possessive adjective ("its tail"), there's no matching possessive pronoun form for things.
How do I know whether to use his, hers, or theirs?
It depends on who the owner is, not the object: his for a male owner, hers for a female owner, theirs for more than one owner.
What is the difference between yours and your?
Your goes before a noun (your bag). Yours stands alone without a noun (the bag is yours).
Can a possessive pronoun start a sentence?
Yes. "Mine is the blue one." "Yours looks great." A possessive pronoun can be the subject, the object, or follow a preposition, as in "a friend of ours."
Practice possessive pronouns with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Keep learning
- Possessive Adjectives in English: My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, TheirThe 7 possessive adjectives in English, with examples and the two mix-ups everyone makes: its/it's and your/you're.
- Possessive 's: How to Show Who Owns What (Mary's Car)The possessive 's shows who owns something: it attaches to the owner, not the thing owned.
- Object Pronouns in English: Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, ThemThe 7 pronouns that go after the verb in English, with examples and what they're really for.