Possessive pronouns

What you'll learn

Use a possessive pronoun when the noun is already clear.

• This is my bag. This bag is mine.
• Is that your phone? Is it yours?

mine · yours · his · hers · ours · theirs

Possessive adjective or possessive pronoun?

Before a noun	Without a noun
my bag	mine
your coat	yours
his phone	his
her jacket	hers
our seats	ours
their car	theirs

Use a possessive adjective before a noun.

• This is my book.

Use a possessive pronoun without a noun.

• This book is mine.

Start with these examples

• That coat is hers, not his.
• These seats are ours.
• Is this umbrella yours?
• Their house is bigger than ours.

Do not use a noun after mine, yours, hers, ours or theirs

• mine car ✗ → my car
• This is hers bag. ✗ → This is her bag. / This bag is hers.

Common mistakes

• This phone is my. → This phone is mine.
• That car is our. → That car is ours.
• The red bag is her. → The red bag is hers.
• It's mine book. → It's my book. / The book is mine.

Quick check

• This is my pen. It is ___. → mine
• That is her coat. It is ___. → hers
• These are our seats. They are ___. → ours

Next step

Use the present simple to talk about routines and things that happen regularly.