Practice
Possessive pronouns: rules and examples
Mia has a red umbrella, and Omar has a black umbrella. Mia can say, "The red umbrella is mine," because mine replaces the words my umbrella.
Choose possessive adjectives before nouns and possessive pronouns when the noun is already clear.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
That blue suitcase is ours. /ðæt bluː ˈsuːtkeɪs ɪz aʊəz/
The short answer
Put a possessive adjective before a noun: my bag, her coat, or their tickets. Use a possessive pronoun on its own: The bag is mine, the coat is hers, and the tickets are theirs.
Our table is near the window, but theirs is by the door.
Why it works: Our comes before the noun table. Theirs replaces their table.
5 more examples
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My phone is on the kitchen counter.
My comes before the noun phone.
Not this:The phone on the kitchen counter is
mine. What changes: Mine replaces my phone, so no noun follows it. -
Her bicycle has a basket on the front.
Her introduces the noun bicycle.
Not this:The bicycle with the basket is
hers. What changes: Hers stands for her bicycle after the noun is clear. -
We packed our lunches before the trip.
Our tells us who owns the lunches and comes before the noun.
Not this:These lunches are
ours. What changes: Ours replaces our lunches, so it does not need a following noun. -
Their apartment is above the bakery.
Their comes before the noun apartment.
Not this:The apartment above the bakery is
theirs. What changes: Theirs replaces their apartment and never takes an apostrophe. -
The robot returned to its charging station.
Its is a possessive adjective for an animal or thing.
Not this:
It'scharging near the station. What changes: It's means it is. It does not show possession.
Read the full guide
First, look for the noun. If you say who owns that noun, use a possessive adjective before it. If the noun has already been named, a possessive pronoun can replace the whole possessive noun phrase.
Choose a word that fits the noun
Possessive words answer the question whose? Start by deciding who owns the thing.
This is my passport.
My tells us that the passport belongs to the speaker.
That is your passport.
Your tells us that the passport belongs to the listener.
Which word shows that a notebook belongs to we?
Use our before the noun: our notebook.
Put possessive adjectives before nouns
My, your, his, her, its, our, and their are possessive adjectives. Each one needs a noun after it.
His train leaves at eight.
His comes before the noun train.
Their garden needs water.
Their comes before the noun garden.
Can you say her without naming or replacing a thing?
No. Her needs a noun after it, as in her jacket or her idea.
Use possessive pronouns on their own
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs replace a possessive adjective plus a noun. They do not take another noun after them.
My seat is by the aisle, and yours is by the window.
Yours replaces your seat.
Her recipe is simple, but mine takes longer.
Mine replaces my recipe.
Which form replaces their coats?
Use theirs: Those coats are theirs.
Keep its and it's separate
Its shows possession before a noun. It's is a short form of it is or it has. The apostrophe changes the meaning.
The company changed its address.
Its tells us that the address belongs to the company.
It's near the city center.
It's means it is in this sentence.
Which form comes before the noun name?
Use its: The dog knows its name.
Avoid apostrophes in possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns already show possession, so they do not use apostrophes. This rule applies to yours, hers, ours, and theirs.
The corner office is ours.
Write ours without an apostrophe.
Those travel bags are theirs.
Write theirs without an apostrophe.
Is their's a correct spelling?
No. Write theirs without an apostrophe.
Before you go
Remember this
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their before nouns. Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs when the noun is already known. Check that possessive pronouns stand alone and do not have apostrophes.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Possessive pronouns: rules and examples"
What is the difference between my and mine?
My is a possessive adjective, so it comes before a noun: my phone or my coat. Mine is a possessive pronoun, so it replaces the whole phrase when the noun is clear: The phone is mine. Do not put a noun directly after mine.
My phone is on the kitchen counter.
When do I use yours, ours, and theirs?
Use yours, ours, and theirs when the owned noun has already been named or is easy to understand from the situation. They can follow a linking verb, as in The table is ours, or refer back to a noun in an earlier sentence.
The phone on the kitchen counter is mine.
Can his be a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun?
Yes. His can come before a noun, as in his jacket, and it can stand alone, as in The jacket is his. The meaning is possession in both cases. The sentence position tells you whether a noun must follow.
Her bicycle has a basket on the front.
What is the difference between its and it's?
Its is a possessive adjective that comes before a noun, as in its color or its owner. It's is a contraction of it is or it has. If you can replace it's with it is or it has, the apostrophe is correct.
The bicycle with the basket is hers.
Do possessive pronouns use apostrophes?
No. Write yours, hers, ours, and theirs without apostrophes. These words already show possession. Apostrophes are used in contractions such as it's, but possessive pronouns do not need them.
We packed our lunches before the trip.