Possessive pronouns indicate possession or belonging and thus clarify to whom something belongs or to whom something relates. They refer to persons such as I, you, he, she, it, we, you (plural), and you (formal) and are derived from these reference forms. In their attributive form they stand before a noun and determine it like [Definite Articles], in their pronominal form they replace the noun entirely. For classifying the forms, the case is important, as shown in the topic [Introduction to Cases].

The base forms are determined by the person to whom the possession relates. For I, you, he, she, it, we, you (plural), and you (formal) there are the stem forms mein, dein, sein, ihr, sein, unser, euer, and Ihr. The forms for he, she, and it cannot always clearly reveal the owner, so context often decides. In the polite form, Ihr is capitalized and must be distinguished from the feminine ihr.

PersonPerson.	FormForm.	BezugReference.
ichI.	meinmy.	zum Sprecherto the speaker.
duyou.	deinyour.	zum Gesprächspartnerto the interlocutor.
erhe.	seinhis.	zu einem männlichen Bezugswortto a masculine referent.
sieshe.	ihrher.	zu einem weiblichen Bezugswortto a feminine referent.
Sieyou (formal).	Ihryour (formal).	zur Höflichkeitsformto the polite form.

Possessive pronouns adapt their endings to the gender, number, and case of the noun. The ending thus indicates not only the person but also the grammatical form of the word being accompanied. After a definite article or an indefinite article the endings follow the same concordance system as [Definite Articles], because the form of the noun phrase as a whole must agree. This yields the typical forms such as mein, meine, meinen, and meinem.

KasusCase.	MaskulinMasculine.	FemininFeminine.	NeutrumNeuter.	PluralPlural.
NominativNominative.	meinmy.	meinemy.	meinmy.	meinemy.
AkkusativAccusative.	meinenmy (masculine accusative form).	meinemy.	meinmy.	meinemy.
DativDative.	meinemmy (dative form).	meinermy (genitive/dative feminine form).	meinemmy (dative form).	meinenmy (masculine accusative form).
GenitivGenitive.	meinesmy (genitive form).	meinermy (genitive/dative feminine form).	meinesmy (genitive form).	meinermy (genitive/dative feminine form).

Attributively used possessive pronouns stand directly before the noun and function there as determiners of the noun. They do not replace the noun's role, but accompany it and make it more precise. In this position they follow the same sentence patterns as other modifiers before the noun, such as articles and demonstrative forms, as also seen with [Demonstrative Pronouns]. When used pronominally they stand alone and replace the whole noun phrase, for example in the form 'meins' or 'deins'.

GebrauchUsage.	FunktionFunction.	FormForm.
attributivattributive.	begleitet ein Nomenaccompanies a noun.	mein Buchmy book.
pronominalpronominal.	ersetzt ein Nomenreplaces a noun.	meinsmine.
prädikativ ausgeschlossenPredicative use is excluded.	kein Nomen direkt danachNo noun directly after it.	nicht üblichnot common.

The endings of possessive pronouns follow the same declension patterns as other accompanying words in the sentence. After a definite article, an indefinite article, or without an article, the forms change according to the grammatical environment. This creates concordant word groups in which possessive pronouns, nouns, and articles carry the same information about gender, number, and case.

UmfeldEnvironment.	FormprinzipForm principle.	BeispielExample.
mit bestimmtem Artikelwith the definite article.	Endung richtet sich nach der gesamten WortgruppeEnding is determined by the entire word group.	der mein Freundthe my friend.
mit unbestimmtem Artikelwith an indefinite article.	Endung folgt dem gleichen MusterThe ending follows the same pattern.	ein mein Freunda my friend.
ohne Artikelwithout an article.	Endung trägt die grammatische LastThe ending bears the grammatical information.	mein Freundmy friend.

Body parts and reflexive connections are often expressed in German with the definite article or with a reflexive construction, not with a possessive pronoun. Therefore it is often 'mir die Hände waschen' instead of a form with 'meinem'. Such usages are closely related to [Reflexive Pronouns] and show that possession in German is not always marked by a possessive pronoun. In everyday language possession can also be elliptical or omitted when the context is clear.

BereichArea.	Übliche FormCommon form.	HinweisNote.
Körperteilebody parts.	bestimmter Artikeldefinite article.	Besitz wird oft nicht markiertPossession is often not marked.
ReflexivitätReflexivity.	reflexive Konstruktionreflexive construction.	Bezug liegt auf der handelnden PersonThe reference is to the person performing the action.
UmgangsspracheColloquial language.	AuslassungOmission.	Kontext trägt die InformationContext provides the information.

Possessive pronouns belong to pronouns, but in their function they can be closely related to possessive adjectives. When they accompany a noun they are attributive; when they replace a noun they are pronominal. This distinction is important for later comparison with related word classes, especially with [Possessive Adjectives] and the related forms in [Interrogative Pronouns].

FunktionFunction.	MerkmalFeature.	BeispielExample.
attributivattributive.	steht vor dem Nomenstands before the noun.	mein Automy car.
pronominalpronominal.	ersetzt das Nomenreplaces the noun.	meinsmine.
verwandtRelated.	andere Wortart möglichAnother word class is possible.	mein und meinemy and mine.

Possessive pronouns show possession, belonging, and personal relation. Their base form depends on the person, their endings on the gender, number, and case of the noun. Attributive forms stand directly before the noun; pronominal forms replace it. The polite form Ihr, the ambiguous forms sein and ihr, as well as the usual exceptions with body parts, are central points of their usage.