Possessive adjectives and determiners in English help you talk about ownership — who owns what, whose things belong to whom, and how to keep sentences clear instead of sounding like an overstuffed lost-and-found box. Mastering these small but powerful words makes your English smoother, more natural, and much easier to understand.
Let’s explore how they work, how to use them correctly, and how English speakers use them in everyday situations.
What Possessive Adjectives And Determiners Are
Possessive adjectives (also called possessive determiners) are words that show who something belongs to. They always appear before a noun, and they never change form — even if the noun is singular or plural.
The most common ones are:
my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Examples:
• my phone
• her ideas
• their house
• our kids
These words help you answer the question: Whose…?
The Full List (Nice And Simple)
Here’s the clean lineup:
• my (belonging to me)
• your (belonging to you — singular or plural)
• his (belonging to a man)
• her (belonging to a woman)
• its (belonging to an object, place, or animal)
• our (belonging to us)
• their (belonging to them)
Example sentences:
• “This is my laptop.”
• “Is that your umbrella?”
• “We visited their new restaurant.”
• “The cat cleaned its paws.”
Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns
Learners often mix these up — and English does not forgive the mix-up easily.
Possessive adjectives (need a noun)
• my book
• her car
• their decision
You cannot say: “This is my.”
You need the noun.
Possessive pronouns (replace the noun)
• mine
• yours
• his
• hers
• ours
• theirs
Example:
• “This laptop is mine.”
• “Those keys are yours.”
Think of it like this:
Adjective = comes before the noun.
Pronoun = replaces the noun.
When To Use Possessive Determiners In English
1. Talking About Your Things
• “I lost my keys again.”
(A Yak would never admit this, but humans do it often.)
2. Talking About Someone Else’s Things
• “She brought her laptop to the meeting.”
• “They’re repainting their living room.”
3. Talking About Shared Things
• “Let’s finish our project today.”
• “We’re meeting at our usual café.”
4. Talking About Animals, Places, And Organizations
• “The hotel is known for its rooftop bar.”
• “The dog wagged its tail.”
• “The company updated its policy.”
Tricky Points Learners Often Struggle With
“Its” vs “It’s”
This is one of the most common mistakes — even native speakers get it wrong.
• its = possessive (belonging to it)
• it’s = it is / it has
Example:
• “The dog hurt its paw.”
• “It’s raining outside.”
A Yak will shake its head gently if you mix these up.
“Your” vs “You’re”
Another classic mix-up.
• your = possessive
• you’re = you are
Examples:
• “Is this your phone?”
• “You’re late again.”
If you swap them, your English suddenly looks like it tripped on a rock.
“Their” vs “They’re” vs “There”
These three enjoy causing chaos.
• their = belonging to them
• they’re = they are
• there = a place or direction
Example:
• “They’re leaving their coats over there.”
Using Possessive Adjectives For People We Don’t Know
English often uses his/her/their to talk about people we’re describing in general.
Examples:
• “A student should check their answers.”
• “Everyone should bring their passport.”
“Their” is commonly used as a gender-neutral option in modern English.
Using Possessives With Body Parts (Yes, English Has Rules Here)
In English, we normally use possessive adjectives, not “the,” when talking about parts of our body.
Examples:
• “He broke his arm.”
• “I hurt my back.”
• “She washed her hands.”
This is different from some languages that use an article instead.
How To Practice Possessive Adjectives (The Fun, Yak-Approved Way)
A. Replace The Noun
Example:
“I’m using the phone.” → “I’m using my phone.”
B. Describe What’s Yours
Look around your room and say:
“This is my chair.”
“This is my coffee.”
“These are my problems. But I accept them.”
C. Describe Other People’s Things
In a café:
“Her drink looks delicious.”
“The barista forgot their apron.”
D. Make Mini-Stories
“Tom forgot his wallet, so Sarah used her card to buy their lunch.”
The more you chain them, the easier they feel.
Practice Exercises
Exercise A: Choose The Correct Possessive Adjective
- I forgot ___ password. (my / his / their)
- She brought ___ notes to class. (her / its / their)
- The team finished ___ presentation early. (its / our / their)
Exercise B: Fix The Wrong Word
- “Its raining, grab you’re umbrella.”
- “I lost it’s charger.”
- “Their going to there meeting with there manager.”
Exercise C: Write Your Own
Describe three things that belong to you, and three things that belong to other people.
Yak’s Final Chewables
Mastering possessive adjectives and determiners in English gives your sentences clarity, precision, and a nice confident rhythm. These small words act like labels that keep your meaning from running away. Once you get used to them, your English feels more polished, more natural, and less like a confused Yak trying to remember where it left its scarf.