Bezittelijke voornaamwoorden
Possessives show who something belongs to. Dutch has two forms for "our" (ons / onze) that depend on the article of the noun, and two forms for "your" informal (jouw / je) that depend on stress.
| Person | Dutch | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ik | mijn | my | Dit is mijn huis. This is my house. |
| jij | jouw | your (inf. stressed) | Is dit jouw fiets? Is this your bike? |
| je | je | your (inf. neutral) | Je fiets staat buiten. Your bike is outside. |
| u | uw | your (formal) | Wat is uw naam? What is your name? |
| hij | zijn | his | Zijn broer woont hier. His brother lives here. |
| zij | haar | her | Haar moeder is ziek. Her mother is sick. |
| wij / we | ons | our (het-word) | Dit is ons huis. This is our house. |
| wij / we | onze | our (de-word) | Dit is onze auto. This is our car. |
| jullie | jullie | your (pl.) | Jullie huis is groot. Your house is big. |
| zij / ze | hun | their | Hun kinderen zijn klein. Their children are small. |
Practice: ___ huis is groot. (our, het-word)
ons — Huis is a het-word → use ons: Ons huis is groot.
Practice: ___ kinderen zijn lief. (our, de-word plural)
onze — Kinderen is a plural (de-word) → use onze: Onze kinderen zijn lief.
Use <strong>ons</strong> before het-words. Use <strong>onze</strong> before de-words and all plurals. When in doubt, check the article of the noun.
Practice: ___ trouwfeest is op 20 mei. (our)
ons — Het feest → ons: Ons trouwfeest is op 20 mei.
Practice: ___ gasten zijn welkom. (our)
onze — Gasten is plural → onze: Onze gasten zijn welkom.
Both mean "your" (informal). Use <strong>jouw</strong> when emphasising ownership. Use <strong>je</strong> in normal speech. When jij/je follows the verb (inversion), always use <strong>jouw</strong>.
Practice: Petra, is dit ___ fiets? (your, checking ownership)
jouw — When asking whose it specifically is, use jouw: Is dit jouw fiets?
"Ze/zij" is the subject pronoun (she/they). "Haar" and "hun" are the possessives (her / their). A very common mistake is using "ze" where a possessive is needed.
Practice: ___ naam is Mila. (her)
haar — Haar is the possessive for she. Ze = she (subject pronoun). For ownership: haar naam.
Practice: Ze hebben een huis. ___ huis is klein. (their)
hun — Hun = their. Ze = they (subject). For possession use hun: Hun huis is klein.
Practice Possessives Quiz with possessive pronoun cards
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