Any student who begins to learn English from scratch on their own or with a teacher will already learn in the first lesson how to answer the question “ What's your name?” (Russian. What is your name?).
Answering “ My name is...“ (Russian. My name is...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(my, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian: yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to communicate in English.
We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them at all?
We use possessive pronouns for everything, but do we really own our lives, sisters, or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own it all?
~ Samantha Harvey
They may cause some misunderstanding on the part of those who are just starting to learn English and are encountering Possessive pronouns for the first time.
IN English grammar two species coexist peacefully possessive pronouns: Possessive Adjectives (possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). We will talk about them today in this article.
Possessive pronouns in English
Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on keychains: I am yours (Russian: I am yours), And you are mine (Russian: And you are mine)
Let's first remember what a possessive pronoun is.
Possessive pronouns(mine, yours, ours, and others) indicate the attribute of belonging to a certain person and answer the question whose? In Russian they agree with the noun in number, gender and case.
What about English possessive pronouns? IN English language There are two forms of possessive pronouns ( Possessive adjectives and Possessive pronouns), which vary in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.
Let's take a closer look at both forms of possessive pronouns in English.
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive pronouns in English, reminiscent of an adjective in its role in a sentence, and which are always used with a noun, are called Possessive Adjectives(Russian possessive adjective).
Below is a table of the formation of possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.
Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 1)
Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 2)
When we want to indicate ownership, we cannot use !
Offer He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and incorrect in both English and Russian. He is a personal pronoun. Replace it with a suitable possessive adjective his and get it grammatically and logically correct sentence: His name was Car l (Russian. His name was Karl)
Sometimes this form possessive pronouns or Possessive Adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used independently, without a noun.
Remember!
Possessive pronouns-adjectives (Possessive Adjectives) in English they are used only in conjunction with a noun and always come before it.
Since dependent possessive pronouns resemble adjectives in their functionality, they also serve as a definition in a sentence.
Example sentences with possessive adjectives in English
Often, beginners learning English confuse possessive adjectives with abbreviated forms of the verb. to be:
your And you're (= you are)
its And it's (= it is)
Compare the use of possessive pronouns and the abbreviated form of the verb:
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in English that can be used in a sentence without a noun are called Possessive Pronouns(Russian possessive pronoun).
Possessive Pronouns also called absolute or independent form of possessive pronouns. In this form, nouns are never placed after possessive pronouns, since these pronouns are used instead of nouns.
Remember!
Absolute possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) in English are used without a noun and serve in a sentence as the subject, object, or nominal part of the predicate.
Below is a table of the formation of absolute possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.
Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 1)
Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 2)
English possessive pronouns in absolute form replace the possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) with a noun to avoid repetition of information, since everything is clear without it. For example:
This book is my book, not your book(Russian. This book is my book, not your book)
This book is mine, not yours(Russian. This book is mine, not yours)
As you noticed in both Russian and English second the proposal sounds more natural. Let's look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.
Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English
| Sentence with possessive pronoun | Translation into Russian |
|---|---|
| What's mine is yours, my friend. | What's mine is yours, my friend. |
| I have broken my pencil. Please give me yours. | I broke my pencil. Please give me yours. |
| Are those gloves hers? | Those gloves are hers? |
| All the essays were good but his was the best. | All the essays were good, but his was the best. |
| The world is mine. | The world is mine. |
| Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. | Your photos are great, but ours are terrible. |
| These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. | These are not John and Mary's children. Theirs are black-haired. |
| John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. | John found his passport, but Mary could not find hers. |
| Is that chair yours? | Is this chair yours? |
| I know this drink is yours but I need to drink something. | I know this drink is yours, but I need something to drink. |
Possessive pronoun its in absolute form it is used extremely rarely, only in conjunction with the word own:
The cottage seems asleep yet, but it may have a life of its own(Russian. It seemed that the cottage was still sleeping, but perhaps it lived its own life).
My or Mine? Possessive pronoun or adjective?
On the poster there is an inscription with a shining example the use of possessive pronouns in the dependent and absolute form: “Because my body is mine (belongs to me!)”
As already mentioned, we use possessive adjectives and pronouns, when we need to express ownership. Both forms are translated into Russian in the same way.
Possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) is always used followed by a noun:
This is my pen(Russian: This is my pen), where my– possessive adjective, pen – following noun.
Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used independently, without an accompanying word:
This pen is mine(Russian: This pen is mine), where mine– a possessive pronoun after which we DO NOT NEED a noun.
Comparison chart of possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.
The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to emphasize someone or something, it is better to use the absolute form.
Translation of English possessive pronouns
There is no difference in the meaning of possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and their translation into Russian.
English possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form are translated into Russian in the same way, but there are a few things you need to know about.
Translation of the possessive pronoun your into English
In English there is no special possessive pronoun corresponding to the Russian possessive pronoun ""svoy"".
Russian pronoun ""your"" translated into English appropriate possessive pronouns.
Examples of sentences in English with translation of the pronoun your
English possessive pronouns are usually not translated into Russian when they are combined with nouns denoting parts of the body or items of clothing, but are always present before the noun.
In Russian, possessive pronouns are usually not used with similar nouns. Compare English sentences with possessive sentences with translation:
Special cases of using possessive pronouns
Using the Of yours structure
Very often (especially in American English) you can hear the following construction: a friend/some friends of + mine, yours, etc:
I saw a friend of yours last night(Russian: I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.
Here are some friends of mine(Russian: Here are my friends) = Here are my friends.
Offers I saw one of your friends last night and I saw a friend of yours last night will be translated the same way: “Last night I saw one of your friends.” However, there is a slight semantic difference.
Let's look at phrases “my friend” And “a friend of mine”.
“My friend” will be said about close friend. If you call a person “my friend”, it means you have a warm and trusting relationship with him. But, each of us has people with whom we just have good relationships. These are just our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly what we need here: “a friend of mine”.
I don't definite article indicates to us that “one of” friends, someone undefined:
This is my friend Jessica.(“my friend” – before the name)
This is Jessica, a friend of mine.(“a friend of mine” – after the name)
With the phrase "a friend of mine" one is associated fun fact. In English-speaking culture there is a concept "urban myth"(BrE) or "urban legend"(AmE). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event.
We call these stories "tales" or "fiction". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.
Most of these stories (or “tales”) begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).
When to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely
You've probably already come across the phrases Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely at the end of an official letter, for example:
Yours sincerely, Mary Wilkinson(Russian: Sincerely yours, Mary Wilkinson).
In business correspondence, this is irreplaceable phrases, which should be written at the end of the letter. Read more about the features of business English.
Examples of using the phrases “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely”
Using an English noun in the genitive case
Possessive nouns can be used as possessive pronouns to talk about belonging to someone in particular.
As a rule, the use of nouns in the possessive case does not affect the form of possessive pronouns, for example:
Whose cell phone is that? - It's John's.(Russian. Whose phone is this? - Jonah.)
Who do these computers belong to? - They "re our parents".(Russian: Who owns these computers? – Our parents.)
The relationship of belonging or involvement of one object to another can also be indicated using the possessive case ( The Possessive case). which we will talk about in our next article.
Possessive pronouns in English: video
To finally consolidate the acquired knowledge, we recommend that you watch a video about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.
English Grammar Lessons - Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns
Finally:
In this article, we tried to explain as simply as possible the use of possessive pronouns in English and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.
We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have questions on this topic and you will be able to use this grammar correctly in your speech and writing.
Stay on our site and you will discover a lot from the world of English grammar!
Exercises on possessive pronouns
Now we invite you to test your knowledge of possessive pronouns in English by completing the following test.
Choose the correct option (insert either a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun):
Jane has already eaten her lunch, but I"m saving hers/her/my/mine until later.
She has broken hers/her/his leg.
My mobile needs to be fixed, but mine/his/our/their is working.
You/Yours/Mine/My computer is a Mac, but you/your/yours/my is a PC.
We gave them ours/mine/our/yours telephone number, and they gave us their/theirs/ours/mine.
Mine/My/Your/Your pencil is broken. Can I borrow you/yours/him/its?
Ours/Our/Your/My car is cheap, but you/your/yours/my is expensive.
You can"t have any chocolate! It"s all mine/my/our/yours!
In contact with
Everyone knows and successfully uses the word my. When the word mine appears, things get more complicated. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the difference between my And mine. So that you understand and always clearly know which word to use, we have prepared an accessible and detailed explanation for you.
Let's start with examples. About your car you can say: “This is my car” or “This car is mine.” At first glance there is no difference, the meaning is the same. But not in English! Because in each of these sentences the word "my" translated differently. In the first sentence you use a possessive adjective, and in the second you use a possessive pronoun!
Possessive adjectives(Possessive Adjectives) and possessive pronouns(Possessive Pronouns) are used to indicate ownership and answer the question Whose?(Whose?)
|
Personal pronouns |
Possessive adjectives Possessive Adjectives |
Possessive pronouns Possessive Pronouns |
|||
| I | my | mine | |||
| You | your | yours | |||
| He | his | his | |||
| She | her | hers | |||
| It | its | - | |||
| We | our | ours | |||
| You | your | yours | |||
| They | their | theirs |
Possessive Adjectives
The main function of any adjective (including possessive) is to describe a noun. The place of the adjective is before the noun. Therefore, possessive adjectives come before nouns and describe them:
This is my car. - This my car.
This is your file.- This is yours folder.
This is his desk. - This his table.
This is her chair - This her chair.
This is our flat. - This our apartment.
This is their camera - This their camera.
If another descriptive adjective refers to a noun, then the possessive comes before it in the sentence:
Kate is my best friend. - Kate - my best friend.
He is reading his new book. - He reads my new book.
If there is a possessive adjective before a noun, then the article is never placed:
She took a her bag and left. - She took her bag and left.
The children are playing with a their new ball. - The children are playing with their new ball.
How to say "your" in English?
If you look closely at the examples above, you will notice that the word "mine" has different translations. As such, there is no word “own” in the English language. It is translated as one of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) depending on the subject of the sentence:
I will finish my report on Friday. - I will finish mine report on Friday.
You should tidy your room every day. - You should clean up my room every day.
He visits his relatives in summer. - He visits their relatives in the summer.
She is proud of her son. - She's proud his son.
The dog is eating from its bowl. - The dog eats from his bowls.
We spent our holiday in the mountains. - We spent mine vacation in the mountains.
They let their children stay up late. - They allow his Children should not go to bed late.
Possessive adjectives are always used with nouns that indicate belonging to someone. items of clothing And members of the same family, and body parts, personal belongings:
She was wearing her best dress yesterday. (NOT the best dress) - Yesterday she was in her best dress.
The boy washed his face and brushed his teeth. (NOT the face, the teeth) - The boy washed his face and brushed (his) teeth.
He loves his parents very much. (NOT the parents) - He loves his parents very much.
She keeps her books in the bookcase. (NOT the books) - She keeps her books in the bookcase.
Word "mine" is not always translated into Russian, but in English usage possessive adjectives Necessarily.
Next two rules will be useful for students of intermediate level and above. In some cases, with nouns denoting parts of the body, it is possible to use the definite article the rather than a possessive adjective:
1. When a noun does not refer to the subject, that is, the performer of the action (subject), and to the complement - to the one to whom the action is directed (object).
The woman patted the child on the head. - The woman stroked the child’s head.
Noun head refers to the object (the child), not the subject (the woman), so the definite article should be used the, not a possessive adjective.
2.
When we're talking about about pain, damage or shock. In such sentences there are prepositions (in, on) combines with the following verbs:
hit- hit, hit
punch- hit with a fist
slap- clap, slap
bite- bite
pat- clap
sting- sting
An old man has a pain in the back.- The old man has a back pain.
A bee stung me in the arm. - A bee stung my hand.
Possessive adjective its.
The adjective its, which is used with inanimate objects (inanimate objects), can be replaced by of it:
This house is very expensive. I can't tell you its price.
or
I can't tell you the price of it.- This house is expensive. I can't tell you its price.
Please note that its and it's are not the same thing.
It's is a possessive adjective that refers to an inanimate object or animal.
I have got a cat. Its tail is long. - I have a cat. His tail is long.
It's is a shortened form of either it is, or from it has:
I have got a cat. It's a white cat. (It’s = it is) - I have a cat. This is a white cat.
I've got a cat. It's got a long tail. (It’s got = it has got) - I have a cat. The cat has a long tail.
Possessive Pronouns
Pronouns are used without a noun because the function of pronouns is to replace the noun. We use them to avoid repeating the noun over and over again. Possessive pronouns are usually found at the end of a sentence and are stressed:
This car is mine. - This car - my.
This file is yours. - This folder - yours.
This desk is his. - This table - his.
This chair is hers. - This chair - her.
This flat is ours. - This apartment - our.
This camera is theirs. - This camera - their.
Possessive pronouns can be at the beginning of a sentence and act as a noun, if the noun was indicated earlier and the interlocutors understand what is being said:
My book is on the desk. Yours is on the shelf. (yours = your book) - My book is on the table. Your (book) is on the shelf.
His sister studies at school. Hers works in an office. (hers = her sister) - His sister is studying at school. Her (sister) works in an office.
Our house is new. Theirs is older. (theirs = their house) - Our house is new. Their (house) is older.
Possessive pronoun forms for it does not exist.
The difference between “my friend” and “a friend of mine”.
Possessive pronouns are sometimes used with nouns and the preposition of. In particular in the expression “ a friend of mine/ his/ hers etc.”
Yesterday I met a friend of mine.
Max told us an anecdote about a friend of his.
There is little semantic difference between "my friend" And "a friend of mine".
"My friend" talking about a close friend. If you call a person “my friend,” then you have a warm, trusting relationship with him.
But, like everyone, there are people in your life with whom you maintain normal relationships, but cannot call them friends. These are your friends, acquaintances or “friends of friends.” "A friend of mine" implies that the person is not very close to you, familiar. He himself indicates that this is “one of” his friends, someone “undefined”.
This is my friend Bill. (“my friend” - before the name)
This is Bill, a friend of mine. (“a friend of mine” - after the name)
With the phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one funny fact. In English-speaking culture there is a concept "urban myth"(BrE) or "urban legend"(AmE). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event. We call such stories “tales” or “fiction”. These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified. Most of these stories (or “tales”) begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).
That's all you need to know about possessive adjectives and pronouns. Visit our website often and make progress in learning English!
If you find it difficult to master grammar on your own, contact. They will be happy to help you! Reasonable prices, guaranteed results. right now!
And subscribe to our communities at
his game - his game, my daughter - my daughter, her mother - her mother, your decision - your decision, our home - our home. There are seven possessive adjectives in English. Let's look at them in a table with examples.
| my | My cat always eats mice if it sees them but it never eats doves or other birds – My cat always eats mice if he sees them, but never touches pigeons and other birds |
| his | I know that is his blame, don’t try to whiten him, it’s all for nothing - I know that it’s his fault, don’t try to make him out to be good light. It's all useless |
| her | Her decision was quick and rather smart for her age and education - The decision she made was sudden and very reasonable for a girl of her age and education |
| your | Is it your idea of making him the “king” of the evening? How can you be so foolish! — Was it your idea to make him the “king” of the evening? How could you be so short-sighted! |
| our | Our company was small but we tried to do all the best to produce good product - Our company was small, but we tried to do everything to produce a quality product |
| their | Their plan was not easy but it was the only one - Their plan was not easy, but it remained the only one. |
| its | My cat likes dogs, and one of its friends is a bid black dog barking like thunder – My cat loves dogs, and one of her friends is a big black dog with a thunderous bark |
Possessive adjectives go before nouns, rather than replacing them. This is the difference between them and possessive pronouns.
Don't confuse Its and It's
Be careful, because even native speakers sometimes confuse these two words. Its is used to express that something belongs to an animal or other thing and emphasizes the lack of gender identification. For example:
The dog opened its mouth and barked several times - The dog opened its mouth and barked several times
It’s is a common shortening of it is or it has. For example:
It’s not my decision, you know – As you know, this is not my decision
It’s already been done, as I said you - The thing has already been done, as I told you
Even though Its and It's are similar in form, their meanings are completely different. One of the words is an adjective, and the other is a combination of an adverb and a noun. Therefore, when replacing one with another in a sentence, not only the grammatical structure is violated, but the entire meaning of the phrase is lost. In the flow of speech, Its and It’s differ quite simply in context and in the very meaning of the phrase. Difficulties usually arise for beginners learning English. In this case, the vocabulary is still small, and phonetic hearing is not developed. In addition, the percentage of errors is higher among inattentive people who simply forget to put an apostrophe on the letter. Let's look at a few more examples to reinforce:
I looked at the table. Its legs looked as if someone scratched them – I looked at the table. His legs looked like they had been scratched
The flower was nice and its scent filled the room in a few seconds - The flower was very beautiful, and after a couple of minutes its scent filled the room
It’s my life and you can’t decide what I have to do, you are mot my mother – This is my life, you can’t decide what I should do, you are not my mother
It’s a nice gift and I am sure they appreciated it - It was a nice gift, and I’m sure they appreciated it.
Gerund and possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives can be used together with a gerund. This construction is natural for the English language, although in Russian it will look unnatural. For example:
My dancing is one of the best in the world, how can I loose?! — My dancing technique is one of the best in the world, how could I lose?
His reading became louder and louder and the audience was silent - He read, and his voice became louder and louder, and the people in the hall were silent.
I liked her knitting but it was not perfect of course - I liked her knitting, although it, of course, was not perfect
Your crying is nonsense at the moment, you would better start to do something to solve the problem“Your roaring now is just stupidity, you’d better start doing something about it.” To solve the problem
Our eating there was excellent – Our dinner at this place was wonderful
Their sleeping was too peaceful to disturb them – They slept too peacefully for us to dare to wake them up
Its barking helped me to realize that the guest was not a stranger - His barking helped me understand that the guest was not a stranger.
As can be seen from the examples, possessive adjectives are placed in a sentence before nouns or before a gerund, since it combines a noun. Each of the seven adjectives can be used with a gerund as long as the meaning of the entire phrase is not violated.
We use pronouns to replace nouns in a sentence. Look at the word “pronoun” itself; it contains the main function of this part of speech: “ substitute", that is " instead of a noun" Pronouns are used to diversify speech and not repeat the same word from sentence to sentence.
There are several types of pronouns in English: , and possessive. We paid special attention to each type of pronoun in a separate article.
Let's see how a native speaker teacher Alex talks about words that show that someone owns something.
When we want to say that someone owns something, we use possessive forms. As you can see, Alex identified two forms: Possessive Adjectives And Possessive Pronouns.
Possessive adjectives
Let's start looking at possessive forms with possessive adjectives. Abroad these words are called Possessive Adjectives. Such words show a sign of an object, phenomenon or person, therefore they are classified as adjectives and not pronouns:
- My book. - My book. (what book? – mine)
- His friend. - His friend. (what friend? – his)
In Russian textbooks on English grammar it is written that my (your, his etc.) is a pronoun, but native English teachers insist that it is still an adjective, because it comes before a noun and defines it. Let's look at the sign:
| Personal pronoun | Possessive adjective | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | My | My |
| You | Your | Is yours |
| He | His | His |
| She | Her | Her |
| It | It's | His her |
| We | Our | Our |
| You | Your | Your |
| They | Their | Their |
My cat likes to play with a ball. – My the cat loves to play with the ball.
She wants to talk to your manager - She wants to talk to yours manager.
The teacher found his mistakes. - The teacher found his errors.
I like her dress. - I like her dress.
Our family likes to rest in Crimea, we adore its nature. – Our family loves to relax in Crimea, we adore his nature.
They look after our children. - They look after our children.
He is speaking with their mother - He's talking to their mom.
Please note: in all examples after my (his, their) goes a noun.
In Russian there is universal word“ours”, which we simply change according to numbers and persons. In English, the words “our”, “ours”, “ours” should be translated as “my”, “ours”, “his”/“hers”, respectively.
She cut mine finger. – She cut her finger.
I love my mom. – I love my mother
Do my work. – Do your work.
Possessive pronouns
If you need to replace a noun in a sentence, you must use one of the possessive pronouns. Usually the noun is replaced so that there is no repetition in the sentence.
- This is not my pen, mine is purple. – This is not my pen, my purple one (replaced my pen on mine).
| Personal pronoun | Possessive pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | Mine | My |
| You | Yours | Is yours |
| He | His | His |
| She | Hers | Her |
| It | It's | His her |
| We | Ours | Our |
| You | Yours | Your |
| They | Theirs | Their |
Becky! That is mine! - This my, Becky!
My task is easier than yours. - My task is easier than your.
This is not his car, his is blue. - This is not his car. his– blue.
This is a friend of hers. - This her Friend.
It is not their house, theirs is bigger. - This is not their home their more.
The general rule for all possessive pronouns is that there is no need to use a noun after them, and, as a rule, it comes at the end of the sentence. And look at this couple: a friend of mine And my friend. Both phrases mean the same thing - my friend, only after a preposition of use possessive pronouns rather than adjectives ( a friend of mine).