My, your, his, her: possessives in English (chart)

Possessives say who something belongs to: my bag, your phone, Tom's car. English has two ways. Use my, your, his and so on, or add 's to a name.

The chart: my, your, his, her

Each person word has its own possessive.

Person	Possessive	Example
		my bag
		your phone
		his car
		her name
		its bed
		our house
		their children

The possessive goes before the noun. It never changes for the noun:

my bag, my bags
her brother, her sisters

His or her: look at the owner

This is the big one. Choose his or her from the , not the thing.

Owner	Possessive	Example
Tom ()		Tom and his mother
Tom ()		Tom and his father
Ana ()		Ana and her mother
Ana ()		Ana and her father

In some languages, the word changes for the thing. In English it does not. Tom's mother is his mother, because Tom is a man.

Things have no his or her. A table or a car is it, so use its. An animal is often it too: The dog is in its bed.

Name + 's

For a name or a noun, add 's.

Tom's car (the car of Tom)
Ana's phone
my mother's name
the man's hat

English almost never says the car of Tom. With people, use 's.

Plural nouns: s'

If the noun is plural and ends in s, add only the apostrophe.

One owner	Many owners
the boy's room	the boys' room
my friend's car	my friends' cars

Plurals with no s take 's: the children's room, the men's names.

Its or it's?

These two sound the same. They mean different things.

Word	Means	Example
		The dog wants its food.
's		It's late.

The test: can you say it is? Then write it's. If not, write its.

The same trap: your (your bag) and you're (you are), their (their house) and they're (they are).

Possessives every day

You will hear these all the time.

Sentence	When
What's your name?	.
My name is Sam.	.
This is my friend Ana.	.
Is this your bag?	.
Where are our tickets?	.
Their house is near here.	.

Whose?

To ask about the owner, use whose: Whose bag is this? It's Tom's.

Common mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Tom and her mother	Tom and his mother	.
Ana and his father	Ana and her father	.
the car of Tom	Tom's car	's.
The dog wants it's food.	The dog wants its food.	's .
They're house is big.	Their house is big.	're .
mys bags	my bags	.

What to do next

Say the chart: I, my. You, your. He, his. She, her. It, its. We, our. They, their.
Do the drills below.
Next: this, that, these and those.

Practise: test yourself

Matching

0/7

Match each word to its possessive.

Pick the right one

0/6

The words in brackets tell you the owner. Pick the right word.

This is thing. (I)
Is this thing? (you)
It is thing. (Tom)
Where is thing? (Ana)
It is time now. (we)
Where are things? (Tom and Ana)

Pick the right one

0/4

His or her? Look at the owner, not the thing.

Ana has a thing. It is thing.
Tom has a little thing. It is thing.
The man? This is thing.
Ana? I think this is thing.

Pick the right one

0/5

Pick the right one.

Tom has a thing. It is thing.
One man has a thing. It is the thing.
on its way.
It's on way.
time to go.

Frequently asked questions

What are the possessive adjectives in English?

My, your, his, her, its, our and their. They go before a noun: my bag, their house. They never change: my bag, my bags.

When do I use his and when do I use her?

Look at the owner. If the owner is a man or a boy, use his. If the owner is a woman or a girl, use her. The thing does not matter: Tom and his mother, Ana and her father.

What is the difference between its and it's?

Its means of it: the dog and its bed. It's is the short form of it is: it's late. If you can say it is, write it's. If not, write its.

How do I use 's in English?

Add 's to a person or a noun to show the owner: Tom's phone, my sister's car, the man's hat. For a plural noun that ends in s, add only the apostrophe: the boys' room.

Do I say the car of Tom or Tom's car?

Tom's car. With people, English almost always uses 's. The car of Tom sounds wrong to native speakers.