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Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her

Updated 27 Oct 2026 3 min read LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: English possessive adjectives my, your, his, her, its, our, their, with examples: my name, your bag, her keys
Short answer

A possessive adjective goes before a noun to show who owns it: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Each one matches a subject pronoun — I pairs with my, she with her — and the word stays the same before a singular or a plural noun.

On this page10 sections · tap to jump
  1. 01The rule
  2. 02The forms
  3. 03Example sentences
  4. 04Common mistakes
  5. 05A short conversation
  6. 06Usage notes
  7. 07Compared with…
  8. 08Practice
  9. 09Quiz
  10. 10Recap cheat-sheet

Level: A1. A possessive adjective is a small word you put in front of a noun to say who it belongs to. There are seven of them, and the good news is they never change their spelling no matter what comes after.

The rule

A noun is a word for a person, place or thing (bag, sister, car). An adjective is a word that describes a noun. A possessive adjective is a special adjective that tells you who owns that noun.

English has seven possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. You place one directly before the noun it describes: my bag, her keys, their house.

Each possessive adjective matches a subject pronoun. If you know the subject pronoun (see Subject Pronouns), you already know which possessive to use: I → my, you → your, he → his, she → her, it → its, we → our, they → their.

Unlike in many languages, the English possessive adjective does not change for the gender or number of the thing owned. You say her book and her books, his car and his cars — only the noun becomes plural, never the possessive.

The forms

Subject pronoun Possessive adjective Example
I my This is my phone.
you your Is this your coat?
he his That is his bike.
she her I like her jacket.
it its The cat licked its paw.
we our Our flat is small.
they their Their children are here.

Example sentences

  1. My name is Sara.
    'My' matches the subject 'I'.
  2. What is your phone number?
    'Your' matches 'you'.
  3. His car is very old.
    'His' for a male owner.
  4. Her dress is beautiful.
    'Her' for a female owner.
  5. The dog wagged its tail.
    'Its' for a thing or animal — no apostrophe.
  6. Our house is near the station.
    'Our' matches 'we'.
  7. Their parents live in Spain.
    'Their' matches 'they'.
  8. I lost my keys this morning.
    The owner is 'I', so 'my'.
  9. She is talking to her sister.
    A woman and her sister — 'her'.
  10. He is washing his hands.
    A man and his hands — 'his'.
  11. Please close your books.
    Speaking to 'you' (plural or singular).
  12. We invited our neighbours to dinner.
    'Our' before a plural noun.
  13. The company changed its logo.
    A company is 'it', so 'its'.
  14. My brother and I cleaned our room.
    'We' share it, so 'our'.
  15. Anna and Tom brought their friends.
    Two people = 'they' = 'their'.
  16. Is that his bag or her bag?
    The form shows whose it is, not the bag.
  17. The children finished their homework.
    'Their' stays the same before a plural noun.
  18. I really like your new haircut.
    'Your' before an adjective + noun.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ She loves his mother. (meaning Anna’s mother) → ✅ She loves her mother. Use her because the owner (Anna) is female.
  • ❌ Is this you’re book? → ✅ Is this your book? Your = belonging; you’re = you are.
  • ❌ The dog hurt it’s leg. → ✅ The dog hurt its leg. The possessive its has no apostrophe; it’s = it is.
  • ❌ Theirs house is big. → ✅ Their house is big. The possessive adjective is their, with no -s.
  • ❌ My the car is red. → ✅ My car is red. Don’t use the together with a possessive adjective.
  • ❌ They are washing their’s hands. → ✅ They are washing their hands. No apostrophe and no -s on their.

A short conversation

A: Is this your jacket? B: No, it’s not mine. I think it’s her jacket — Lina left early. A: And whose phone is this? B: That one is his. Tom always forgets his things.

Usage notes

  • One owner word per noun. Don’t stack a possessive with a, an or the: say my book, not the my book or a my book.
  • The noun can be plural; the possessive cannot. their child → their children: only the noun changes.
  • its vs it’s. its is the possessive (the team won its match); it’s is always short for it is or it has. When in doubt, read it as two words.
  • Formal and informal are the same. Unlike some languages, English uses the same your for one friend, many friends, a stranger or a group — there is no polite or plural change.

Compared with…

  • Possessive ’s. A possessive adjective is a fixed word before a noun (her car), while the possessive ’s attaches to a name or noun to do the same job (Sara’s car). Use the adjective when you’ve already said who; use ’s to name the owner. See Possessive ‘s and s’.
  • Possessive pronouns. A possessive adjective needs a noun after it (my bag); a possessive pronoun replaces the noun and stands alone (The bag is mine). The pairs are my/mine, your/yours, his/his, her/hers, its/its, our/ours, their/theirs. See Possessive Pronouns.

Recap card for the English possessive-adjectives lesson showing each pronoun and its possessive adjective

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Possessive adjectives practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Choose the correct word: 'Anna loves ___ brother.'
Show answer

her — Anna is female, so use 'her' — match the owner, not the brother.

Hint: no apostrophe

Show answer

its — The possessive of 'it' is 'its', with no apostrophe.

3 Put the words in order to make a correct sentence.

Show answer

This is my bag — The possessive adjective 'my' goes right before the noun 'bag'.

4 Match each subject pronoun to its possessive adjective.

  • I
  • she
  • we
  • they
Show answer
  • I → my
  • she → her
  • we → our
  • they → their

I → my, she → her, we → our, they → their.

5 Which sentence is correct?
Show answer

Is this your coat? — 'Your' shows belonging; 'you're' means 'you are' and 'yours' needs no noun after it.

Quiz

Check yourself

Possessive adjectives quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered
  1. 1Which word matches the subject pronoun 'they'?
    Show answer

    their — They → their; 'theirs' is a possessive pronoun and 'there' means a place.

  2. 2Complete: 'Tom is riding ___ bike.'
    Show answer

    his — Tom is male, so the possessive is 'his'.

  3. 3Complete: 'The dog hurt ___ leg.'
    Show answer

    its — The possessive of 'it' is 'its', with no apostrophe.

  4. 4Which word matches 'we'?
    Show answer

    our — We → our; 'ours' stands alone without a noun.

  5. 5Choose the correct sentence.
    Show answer

    My car is new. — Don't use 'a', 'an' or 'the' with a possessive adjective.

  6. 6Complete: 'Sara is talking to ___ mother.'
    Show answer

    her — Sara is female, so 'her'.

  7. 7Which is correct for belonging?
    Show answer

    your book — 'Your' shows belonging; 'you're' = 'you are'.

  8. 8Complete: 'The children ate ___ lunch.'
    Show answer

    their — 'Children' = they, so 'their'.

  9. 9What changes when a noun becomes plural? 'her book' → ___
    Show answer

    her books — Only the noun becomes plural; the possessive 'her' stays the same.

  10. 10Which sentence is WRONG?
    Show answer

    Theirs house is big. — The possessive adjective is 'their', not 'theirs', before a noun.

  11. Show answer

    my — I → my.

  12. 12Complete: 'The company changed ___ name last year.'
    Show answer

    its — A company is 'it', so the possessive is 'its'.

Recap cheat-sheet

Subject Possessive adjective Example
I / you my / your my bag, your coat
he / she / it his / her / its his car, her keys, its tail
we / they our / their our flat, their house

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All English grammar topics

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Grammar path

125 topics 125 ready now
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
  1. 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
  2. 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
  3. 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
  4. 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
  5. 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
  6. 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
  7. 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
  8. 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
  9. 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
  10. 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her You are here
  11. 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
  12. 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
  13. 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
  14. 14 Can and Can't for Ability
  15. 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
  16. 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
  17. 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
  18. 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
  19. 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
  20. 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
  21. 21 How Much vs How Many
  22. 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  23. 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
  24. 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
  25. 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
  26. 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
  27. 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
  28. 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
  29. 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
  30. 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
  2. 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
  3. 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
  4. 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
  5. 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
  6. 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
  7. 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
  8. 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
  9. 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
  10. 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
  11. 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
  12. 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
  13. 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
  14. 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
  15. 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
  16. 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
  17. 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
  18. 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
  19. 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
  20. 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
  21. 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
  22. 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
  23. 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
  24. 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
  25. 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
  1. 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
  2. 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
  3. 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
  4. 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
  5. 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
  6. 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
  7. 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
  8. 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
  9. 64 Reported Questions
  10. 65 Reported Commands and Requests
  11. 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
  12. 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
  13. 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
  14. 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
  15. 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
  16. 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
  17. 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
  18. 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
  19. 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
  20. 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
  21. 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
  22. 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
  23. 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
  24. 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
  25. 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
  26. 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
  27. 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
  2. 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
  3. 85 Mixed Conditionals
  4. 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
  5. 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
  6. 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
  7. 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
  8. 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
  9. 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
  10. 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
  11. 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
  12. 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
  13. 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
  14. 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
  15. 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
  16. 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
  17. 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
  18. 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
  19. 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
  20. 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
  21. 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
  22. 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
  23. 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
  24. 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
  25. 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
  1. 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
  2. 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
  3. 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
  4. 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
  5. 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
  6. 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
  7. 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
  8. 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
  9. 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
  10. 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
  11. 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
  12. 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
  13. 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
  14. 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
  15. 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
  16. 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
  17. 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
  18. 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)