Grammar
Possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their
You pick up a phone after class. Is it my phone, her phone, or their phone? One small word before phone tells the listener whose phone you mean.
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their before nouns to show who or what a person, animal, place, or thing is connected with.
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
my, your, his, her, its, our, and their /maɪ, jɔː, hɪz, hɜː, ɪts, aʊə, ænd ðeə/
The short answer
Use a possessive determiner before a noun: my bag, her plan, or their office. Match the word to the owner or group, and do not add an apostrophe to these forms.
Maya has her ticket, and we have our tickets.
Why it works: Her refers to Maya, while our refers to the speaker and other people together. Both words come before the noun tickets.
6 more examples
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My keys are in my jacket pocket.
My shows that the keys belong to or are connected with the speaker.
Not this:The keys in the jacket pocket
are mine. What changes: Mine replaces my keys, so it does not come before the noun keys. -
Is your meeting still at two o'clock?
Your comes before meeting because the question is about the listener's meeting.
Not this:Are
you meetingthe manager at two o'clock? What changes: You is the subject here. It does not introduce the noun meeting. -
Daniel forgot his umbrella on the train.
His refers to Daniel and comes before the noun umbrella.
Not this:Daniel forgot
himon the train. What changes: Him refers to a person as an object. It cannot introduce umbrella. -
Aisha put her notes beside the laptop.
Her works before the plural noun notes as well as before a singular noun.
Not this:Aisha put
hersbeside the laptop. What changes: Hers can replace her notes after the noun is understood, but it does not come before notes. -
The library changed its opening hours this week.
Its refers to the library, which is a thing or organization in this sentence.
Not this:
It's changingthe opening hours this week. What changes: It's means it is. It does not show possession. -
We finished our project before lunch.
Our includes the speaker as part of the group that worked on the project.
Not this:They finished
their projectbefore lunch. What changes: Their refers to a group that does not include the speaker.
Read the full guide
Start with the person, people, animal, or thing connected with the noun. Then choose the matching word. If the noun is already clear and you do not repeat it, you need a possessive pronoun such as mine or theirs, which is a different pattern.
Put the word before a noun
You may know who owns something but still place the word in the wrong part of the sentence. A possessive determiner needs a noun after it. Say my appointment, their apartment, or our ideas. It cannot finish the phrase by itself.
Our train leaves from platform six.
Our introduces the noun train. The phrase tells you which train the group will take.
Which word fits before the noun address: their or theirs?
Use their: Their address is on the form. Address is the noun after the possessive word.
Match the person
When you speak about one person, choose the possessive word from that person. Use his with a male person and her with a female person. The noun can be an object, a plan, a family member, or an idea.
Leo called his sister after work.
His points back to Leo. Sister is the noun that follows it.
Nora changed her travel plans.
Complete the sentence: Samira left ___ glasses at home.
Use her: Samira left her glasses at home. Samira is the person connected with the glasses.
Use its for things
A thing, place, organization, or animal can have a possessive word too. Use its before the noun. Learners often confuse its with it's because the two forms sound alike, but they have different grammar.
The dog wagged its tail when we arrived.
Its shows that the tail belongs to the dog. The word tail follows the possessive determiner.
It's late, so the museum is closing.
Choose the correct form: The company published ___ annual report.
Use its: The company published its annual report. The sentence needs a possessive word before report.
Include or exclude yourself
Groups can make the choice harder. Use our when the speaker belongs to the group. Use their when the speaker talks about a different group. The noun stays after the possessive word in both patterns.
Our team meets every Friday.
Our includes the speaker as a member of the team.
Their team meets on Monday.
You and your classmates made a poster. Which word completes the phrase: ___ poster?
Use our: Our poster is ready. The speaker is part of the class group.
Avoid pronoun mix-ups
A possessive pronoun such as mine, yours, hers, ours, or theirs can replace a noun phrase. A possessive determiner cannot. If a noun follows, use my, your, her, our, or their. If the noun is already understood, a possessive pronoun may fit.
Your charger is here, but mine is missing.
Your comes before charger. Mine replaces my charger after charger is clear.
Their seats are near the door, and ours are by the window.
Complete the sentence: This notebook is ___.
Use yours if the notebook belongs to the listener. A possessive pronoun works because notebook is already named.
Before you go
Remember this
Put my, your, his, her, its, our, or their before a noun. Choose the word from the person or group connected with that noun. Check its and it's carefully: its shows possession, while it's means it is.
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 determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their"
What are possessive determiners in English?
Possessive determiners are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. They come before a noun to show a connection or ownership, as in my keys, her notes, or their project.
My keys are in my jacket pocket.
How do I choose between his and her?
Choose the word from the person you mean. Use his for a male person and her for a female person. In Daniel forgot his umbrella, his refers to Daniel. In Aisha put her notes beside the laptop, her refers to Aisha.
The keys in the jacket pocket are mine.
What is the difference between its and it's?
Its is a possessive determiner before a noun, as in the library changed its opening hours. It's is a short form of it is or it has. The sentence It's changing the opening hours means It is changing the opening hours.
Is your meeting still at two o'clock?
When do I use our and their?
Use our when the speaker is part of the group: Our team meets every Friday. Use their for another group that does not include the speaker: Their team meets on Monday. Both words come before a noun.
Are you meeting the manager at two o'clock?
Can a possessive determiner end a sentence?
No. A possessive determiner needs a noun after it, so say your charger. Use a possessive pronoun when the noun is already clear: Your charger is here, but mine is missing. Mine replaces my charger.
Daniel forgot his umbrella on the train.