Possessive Pronouns

A1 — Fornöfn

Possessive pronouns: minn/mín/mitt, þinn/þín/þitt, hans/hennar/þess, etc.

Can use possessive pronouns correctly, placing them after the noun with gender agreement

Examples

Hesturinn minn er brúnn. — My horse is brown.
Bókin hennar er á borðinu. — Her book is on the table.
Barnið mitt sefur. — My child is sleeping.

PronounsA1

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns: minn/mín/mitt, þinn/þín/þitt, hans/hennar/þess, etc.

Learning Goal

Can use possessive pronouns correctly, placing them after the noun with gender agreement

Exam Skills:VISC A1

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Hesturinn minn er brúnn.

My horse is brown.

Bókin hennar er á borðinu.

Her book is on the table.

Barnið mitt sefur.

My child is sleeping.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

English has one form for each possessive: "my car, my book, my house". In Icelandic, my and your agree with the thing owned, while his, her, our, their stay the same.

Owner	Masculine noun	Feminine noun	Neuter noun
ég - my	bíllinn minn	bókin mín	húsið mitt
þú - your	bíllinn þinn	bókin þín	húsið þitt
hann - his	hans: bíllinn hans, bókin hans
hún - her	hennar: bíllinn hennar, bókin hennar
við - our	okkar: húsið okkar
þið - your (pl.)	ykkar: húsið ykkar
þeir/þær/þau - their	þeirra: húsið þeirra

The possessive comes after the noun

The ordinary order is noun with its article, then the possessive: bíllinn minn, literally "the car my". This feels backwards at first but it is what you will hear all day. Putting the possessive first (mín bók) is possible but marked: it stresses "my book, not yours". Family words often drop the article: mamma mín (my mum), pabbi minn (my dad).

Agree with the thing, not the owner

The ending of minn/mín/mitt depends on the noun owned. A man and a woman both say bókin mín (my book), because bók is feminine. And for "her", the word is hennar whatever is owned: bíllinn hennar, bókin hennar.

Minn and þinn also change for case along with the noun: Ég finn ekki bókina mína. - I can't find my book. Hans, hennar, okkar and the rest stay the same in every case, since they are genitive forms of the personal pronouns.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Putting possessives before the noun (*minn hestur) instead of after (hesturinn minn). Using hans/hennar that agree with the possessor, not the possessed noun. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English puts possessives before: 'my book'. Icelandic puts them after: bókin mín. Major word order change.

Hesturinn minn er brúnn.

My horse is brown.

Minn = my (masculine, matching hestur). Note: possessive AFTER noun + definite article on noun.

Bókin hennar er á borðinu.

Her book is on the table.

Hennar = her (invariable — doesn't change for gender/case of possessed noun). Borðinu = dative of borð + inu.

Barnið mitt sefur.

My child is sleeping.

Mitt = my (neuter, matching barn). Compare: minn (m.), mín (f.), mitt (n.).

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Possessive Pronouns?: English has one form for each possessive: "my car, my book, my house". In Icelandic, my and your agree with the thing owned, while his, her, our, their stay the same.
How do you form Possessive Pronouns?: The ordinary order is noun with its article, then the possessive: bíllinn minn , literally "the car my". This feels backwards at first but it is what you will hear all day. Putting the possessive first ( mín bók ) is possible but marked: it stresses " my book, not yours". Family words often drop the article: mamma mín (my mum), pabbi minn (my dad). The ending of minn/mín/mitt depends on the noun owned. A man and a woman both say bókin mín (my book), because bók is feminine. And for "her", the word is hennar whatever is owned: bíllinn hennar , bókin hennar . Minn and þinn also change for case along with the noun: Ég finn ekki bókina mína . - I can't find my book.
What are common mistakes with Possessive Pronouns?: Putting possessives before the noun (*minn hestur) instead of after (hesturinn minn). Using hans/hennar that agree with the possessor, not the possessed noun. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English puts possessives before: 'my book'. Icelandic puts them after: bókin mín. Major word order change.

Owner

Masculine noun

Feminine noun

Neuter noun

ég - my

bíllinn minn

bókin mín

húsið mitt

þú - your

bíllinn þinn

bókin þín

húsið þitt

hann - his

hans: bíllinn hans, bókin hans

hún - her

hennar: bíllinn hennar, bókin hennar

við - our

okkar: húsið okkar

þið - your (pl.)

ykkar: húsið ykkar

þeir/þær/þau - their

þeirra: húsið þeirra

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Possessive Pronouns?

English has one form for each possessive: "my car, my book, my house". In Icelandic, my and your agree with the thing owned, while his, her, our, their stay the same.

How do you form Possessive Pronouns?

The ordinary order is noun with its article, then the possessive: bíllinn minn , literally "the car my". This feels backwards at first but it is what you will hear all day. Putting the possessive first ( mín bók ) is possible but marked: it stresses " my book, not yours". Family words often drop the article: mamma mín (my mum), pabbi minn (my dad). The ending of minn/mín/mitt depends on the noun owned. A man and a woman both say bókin mín (my book), because bók is feminine. And for "her", the word is hennar whatever is owned: bíllinn hennar , bókin hennar . Minn and þinn also change for case along with the noun: Ég finn ekki bókina mína . - I can't find my book.

What are common mistakes with Possessive Pronouns?

Putting possessives before the noun (*minn hestur) instead of after (hesturinn minn). Using hans/hennar that agree with the possessor, not the possessed noun. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English puts possessives before: 'my book'. Icelandic puts them after: bókin mín. Major word order change.