Possessive adjectives stand before a noun and indicate possession, belonging, or a close relationship. They accompany the noun attributively and adjust their form to case, gender, and number. In this respect they behave similarly to adjectives and are closely connected with [Adjectives] and [Definite articles].

The basic forms are mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, and Ihr for the polite form. The form 'sein' refers to a masculine or neuter referent in the third person singular; 'ihr' refers to a feminine referent in the third person singular or to several people in the third person plural. 'Ihr' capitalized belongs to formal address and denotes possession with Sie.

FormForm.	BedeutungMeaning.
meinMy.	gehört zu mirBelongs to me.
deinYour.	gehört zu dirBelongs to you.
seinHis.	gehört zu ihm oder esBelongs to him or it.
ihrHer.	gehört zu ihr oder ihnenBelongs to her or to them.
unserOur.	gehört zu unsBelongs to us.
euerYour (plural informal).	gehört zu euchBelongs to you (plural).
IhrYour (formal).	gehört zu IhnenBelongs to you (formal).

Possessive adjectives are declined like other modifiers according to case, gender, and number. Their endings depend on whether a definite article or another determiner precedes the noun, and this system is important for adjective declension. Without an article they take stronger endings; with a definite article or similar modifiers they show endings different from those in bare usage.

FormForm.	MaskulinMasculine.	FemininFeminine.	NeutrumNeuter.	PluralPlural.
Nominativ mit freier FormNominative with free form.	meinMy.	meineMy.	meinMy.	meineMy.
Akkusativ mit freier FormAccusative with free form.	meinenMy (masculine accusative).	meineMy.	meinMy.	meineMy.
Dativ mit freier FormDative with free form.	meinemMy (masculine/neuter dative).	meinerMy (feminine genitive or dative).	meinemMy (masculine/neuter dative).	meinenMy (masculine accusative).
Nominativ mit BegleitungNominative with accompaniment.	meinMy.	meineMy.	meinMy.	meineMy.
Akkusativ mit BegleitungAccusative with accompaniment.	meinenMy (masculine accusative).	meineMy.	meinMy.	meineMy.
Dativ mit BegleitungDative with accompaniment.	meinemMy (masculine/neuter dative).	meinerMy (feminine genitive or dative).	meinemMy (masculine/neuter dative).	meinenMy (masculine accusative).

Possessive adjectives are attributive and appear directly before the noun, forming a tight unit with it. Without a noun they cannot fulfil this function and therefore do not appear predicatively. If an additional adjective is present, the possessive adjective determines the ending of the adjective, for example as in the combination with adjectives and adjective placement and concord.

IdeaIdea.	ExampleExample.
Sie stehen vor dem Nomen.They stand before the noun.	mein HausMy house.
Sie begleiten ein Adjektiv vor dem Nomen.They accompany an adjective before the noun.	mein schönes AutoMy nice car.
Sie stehen nicht allein prädikativ.They do not stand predicatively on their own.	Das ist mein.That is mine.
Sie bestimmen die Endung des Adjektivs.They determine the ending of the adjective.	mein kleiner HundMy small dog.

With family members, possessive adjectives are often used without an article, for example 'bei meiner Mutter' or 'deinem Bruder'. In colloquial speech, articles with body parts and in familial relationships are regionally omitted or added. The pronunciation and the form of 'euer' and 'eure' can vary regionally and dialectally, while in formal writing the capitalization of 'Ihr' for the polite form remains important.

RegionRegion.	Word or PhraseWord or phrase.	Regional DefinitionRegional definition.	ExampleExample.
StandardStandard.	FamilienmitgliederFamily members.	Possessivadjektive stehen häufig ohne Artikel vor Familienbezeichnungen.Possessive adjectives often occur before family names without an article.	Meine Mutter kommt heute, wenn sie Zeit hat.My mother is coming today if she has time.
UmgangsspracheColloquial language.	KörperteileBody parts.	Bei Körperteilen wird der Artikel regional manchmal weggelassen.For body parts, the article is sometimes omitted regionally.	Ich wasche meine Hände, bevor ich esse.I wash my hands before I eat.
HöflichPolite.	IhrYour (formal).	Die Großschreibung kennzeichnet die Höflichkeitsform bei der Anrede mit Sie.Capitalization marks the polite form when using the formal address Sie.	Ich sende Ihnen Ihr Formular, damit es vollständig ist.I am sending you your form so that it is complete.
RegionalRegional.	euerYour (plural informal).	Aussprache und Schreibgebrauch können in Dialekten und Regionen leicht variieren.Pronunciation and spelling usage can vary slightly in dialects and regions.	Euer Wagen steht dort, wie ihr es gewohnt seid.Your car is parked there, as you are used to.

Possessive adjectives are attributive and accompany a noun, while possessive pronouns replace a noun. The difference is important for sentence structure and for the correct choice of endings. Thus 'mein Buch' becomes an expression with a noun, but 'mein' alone can only stand when the noun is already clearly replaced, as is also visible in connection with [Possessivpronomen].

IdeaIdea.	ExampleExample.
Possessivadjektiv begleitet ein Nomen.A possessive adjective accompanies a noun.	mein BuchMy book.
Possessivpronomen ersetzt ein Nomen.Possessive pronouns replace a noun.	meinsMine.
Die Form richtet sich nach der Funktion im Satz.The form is determined by its function in the sentence.	mein neues HeftMy new notebook.

Possessive adjectives show possession or belonging and always stand before a noun. They are inflected according to case, gender, and number and change their form depending on whether they are accompanied by articles or other determiners. Whoever masters their position, declension, and the special polite form can use them precisely and naturally in German.