The possessive adjectives in English attributed to a specific substantive relationship of belonging regarding the speaker or any other person or reference. This belonging refers to who owns and not to what is possessed, so they necessarily correspond to the personal pronouns: my , your , his , her , its , our , your and their . Only those eight and they should not be confused with the possessive pronouns : mine , yours , his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs , since the latter replace the noun instead of accompanying it.
Unlike Spanish, adjectives in English must always occupy a position prior to the noun in the sentence, otherwise the link between the two would not be understood. The exception occurs before copulative verbs such as to be (to be), because they precisely attribute conditions to the subject of the sentence . But this does not apply to possessive adjectives and in this specific case the use of possessive pronouns is preferred. Their sense of ownership is often emphasized by adding the word ” own ” to them. In that case, they can fulfill pronominal functions within the sentence, avoiding the repetition of a noun.
See also: Examples of Sentences with Adjectives in English
Examples of possessive adjectives in English
My (my). It is used to indicate membership in the first person singular (I).
- ” My house is nearby ” ( My house is nearby)
- ” This is all my fault” (All this is my fault)
- ” I will go by my own Means ” (Attending by my own means)
- ” Have you seen my mum?” (Have you seen my mom?)
- ” I do not need your car, I’ll use my own ” ( I do not need your car’ll use myself )
Your (you). It is used to indicate belonging to the second person singular (you).
- ” Your mother was very upset when you arrived” ( Your mother was very upset when you arrived)
- “ Where did you put your trousers? ”(Where did you put your pants?)
- “You’ll buy it With You own savings” (I buy with own your savings)
- “Are these your friends?” (Are these your friends?)
- “I will not lend you my toothbrush, you can use your own ” (Do not lend you my toothbrush, you can use your own )
His (his, his). It is used to indicate belonging to the third person singular of the masculine (he).
- ” I stole his girlfriend in Highschool times ” (I stole his girlfriend when we were in high school)
- “ My brother forgot his phone at w} ork again ” (My brother forgot his phone at the office again).
- ” I guess I’ll find His own way ” (I guess you will find your own way)
- “ Have you met his sister already? “(Have you already met his sister?)
- “Do not give him any money, I let earn His Own ” (Do not give money, let you earn your own )
Her (his, hers). It is used to indicate belonging to the third person singular of the feminine (she). It should not be confused with the homonymous accusative pronoun (her).
- ” Her boyfriend broke With Her Again ” ( Her boyfriend broke up with her again)
- ” Anna decided not to paint her hair again” (Ana decided not to paint her hair again)
- “ She found her own perspective on life ” (She found her own outlook on life)
- “ Are you going to meet her parents?” (Are you going to meet his parents?)
- “She will not come to the party, she made her own ” (She will not come to the party, then made his own )
Its (his, of it). It is used to indicate belonging to a third singular neutral person, with no equivalent in Spanish, which refers to animals, things or abstract entities.
- ” I see you Have Taught your Dog ITS place” (see you’ve taught your dog his place)
- ” The party recently Elected ITS candidate” (The party recently elected its candidate).
- ” I’m sure the Ministry will Have Its Own Budget This Year ” (I’m sure the ministry will have its own budget this year)
- “Is the house getting its mortgage paid this year?” (Will the house have its mortgage paid off this year?)
- “We think the cat will survive on Its Own “ (We think the cat will survive by itself )
Our (our). It is used to indicate belonging to a first person plural (we / us), without regard to gender distinctions.
- ” Our main goal is to grow as a Company” ( Our main task is to grow as a company)
- ” It is our responsibility to keep you safe” ( It is our responsibility to keep you safe)
- ” We’ll Have our own house This Summer ” (We’ll have our own house this summer)
- ” Have not you heard our songs yet? “(Haven’t you heard our songs yet ?)
- ” We saw the movie and Decided to film our own ” (We watched the film and decided to shoot one our )
Your (his, yours and you). It is used to indicate belonging to a second person of the plural (you / you), without distinction of respect or formality.
- ” Your President is making a fool out of himself” ( Your president is getting ridiculous)
- ” You Americans are always defending your borders” (You Americans are always defending their borders).
- “We trust you will sort it out on your own terms” ( We hope you work it out on their own terms)
- ” Which of you brought your uniforms for the game?” (Who of you brought your uniforms for the game?)
- “We have a car nearby, but you surely have your own “ (We have a car nearby, but surely you will have your own )
Their (their, of them / them). It is used to indicate belonging to a third person plural (they / they), regardless of gender.
- ” Girls today are aware of Their Rights” (Girls today know their rights)
- ” British Soldiers Lost Their youth going to war” (The British soldiers lost their youth going to war)
- “South Americans Have Their Own Culture” (The South Americans have their own culture)
- “Who is helping them with their baggage?” (Who is helping them with their luggage?)
- “The Nazis had their plans for war, and the Allies had their own “ (The Nazis had their plans for war, and the Allies had their own )