Personal and possessive pronouns are one of the basic topics of the English language. Therefore, it is very important to understand them and learn how to use them correctly. This article will be especially useful for those who are just starting to learn the language.

Don't be intimidated by complex and obscure terms. Now you will see how simple and easy everything really is.

Pronouns in English

Let's first look at what a pronoun is and why it is needed.

Pronoun- a word that indicates objects (I, you, he, she) and signs (mine, yours, hers).

We use pronouns to replace words in a sentence to avoid repetition. Let's look at this with an example:

Tom studies at the university. He(we replace the name Tom so as not to repeat) will finish his(replace the word university) in a year.

This is how we used pronouns to replace the words “Tom” and “university” so as not to repeat them in the next sentence.

IN English language There are several groups of pronouns. Today we will look at 2 of them: personal pronouns and possessives.

Personal pronouns in English

Personal pronouns are the words with which we replace the main thing actor.

For example:

Mary and Sara bought tickets.
Mary and Sarah bought tickets.

They will go to the concert.
They will go to the concert.

As you can see from the example, we replaced “Mary and Sarah” with the pronoun “they.”

Such pronouns can replace either one character (he, I, she, her, you) or several (you, we, they).

Examples:

I am reading a book.
I am reading a book.

You should watch this film.
You should watch this movie.

They love each other.
They love each other.

She likes sweets.
She loves sweets.

He fixed his car.
He fixed his car.

Possessive pronouns in English

Title "possessive pronouns" (p ossessive pronouns) comes from the French word possessif (relating to possession). Such pronouns reflect the belonging of objects and the connection between them.

They come in 2 types:

1. Used with an item

Such pronouns answer the question “whose?” and are placed in front of the object, indicating its belonging.

For example: This my computer.

Examples:

He didn't answer my question.
He answered my question.

I need your help.
I need your help.

They reached their goal
They achieved their goal.

She attracted our attention.
She caught our attention.

Let's follow his advice
Let's follow his advice.

Finding her office was easy.
Finding her office was easy.

The dog wagged its tail.
The dog wagged her tail.

2. Used independently, without an object

Such pronouns are used to avoid repetition in a sentence. There is no need to place an object after them, since they already imply it.

For example: This is my computer. Is yours on the table.

Examples:

Can I borrow a pen? I lost mine.
Can I borrow a pen? I lost mine.

My box is smaller than yours.
My box is smaller than yours.

It's not their suitcase. Theirs is purple.
This is not their suitcase. Theirs is purple.

Their price is below ours.
Their price is lower than ours.

He bought a new car and sold his.
He bought new car and sold his (his).

She took his keys and gave hers.
She took his keys and gave hers (her keys).

Please note that these two types of pronouns are translated the same way, but are used differently in the sentence. After the first type there is always an object, after the second there is not. Now let's practice using them in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. This is not her car. Hers is red.
2. My dog ​​loves to play with the ball.
3. Their task is easier than ours.
4. Don't touch my computer, take her.
5. I like her dress.
6. My pen is blue, hers is green.
7. What do cats like? Mine loves to sleep.
8. My car is faster than yours.

Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

It may seem like they are the same thing, but this is a deep misconception. We think that this is probably how it should be, because in native language the same word is used in two phrases with different meanings: “ his coat" and "meet his In the underground". But in English they use two different types pronouns. Oh, how lucky we are with the Russian!

Objective and possessive pronouns in English. What is the difference?

Let's see what they look like first objective and possessive pronouns in English.

If we pay attention to examples of possessive pronouns in English, then we will see that they are found in pairs with nouns.

1. His father was very angry. – His father was very angry.

2. My pencil isn't broken. - My pencil is not broken.

3.Where are their children? -Where are their children?

4. We want to see our results! – We want to see our results!

5. Who is her husband? -Who is her husband?

6.What is your name? – What is your name? (literal translation)

The task of the so-called "object pronouns" to complete a verb (action), that is, to be an “object”. In other words, objective and possessive pronouns in English play different roles in a sentence.

Object pronouns in English table with examples

Nothing less than " object pronouns in English table with examples».

Object pronouns in English table showed us that in this case we are not talking about expressing the belonging of an object to something or someone. In such sentences, we clarify who or what the speaker’s action is directed at. It turns out something like this.

Possessive pronouns + noun

Verb + object pronouns

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We very often use possessive pronouns in both Russian and English. Do you think it’s enough to learn my, his, her, their? No, their use sometimes puts those who do not know all the secrets in an awkward position.

Ask yourself: what is a pronoun? Yes, a part of speech that replaces a noun or adjective. But a special group of Possessive Pronouns, so to speak, characterizes an object, phenomenon, property, indicating that it belongs to someone and answers the question whose? whose? whose? (whose?).

This is my note-book - This is my notebook.

Their decision was unexpected. “Their decision was unexpected.

Our car is broken. — Our car is broken.

What are the possessive pronouns in English?

This group takes its roots from personal pronouns in terms of education, and it is by comparing them that we will consider the use of these parts of speech. To make it easier to understand and remember, we will divide all Possessive Pronouns into two groups.

• Possessives pronouns-adjectives. This name indicates that the listed parts of speech are before a noun, which it describes, characterizes it. In this case never no articles are used. However, after these possessive pronouns in English, there can be other definitions (adjectives), which come after them. I would also like to note that these pronouns are placed after all and both, if there are any in the offer. Let's dive into the examples and consider all the cases.

Her ticket is on the table. — Her ticket is on the table.

It isn't my bus. - This is not my bus.

Your friend came to see me yesterday. — Your friend visited me yesterday.

He gave me her address. — He gave me her address.

Where is mygreen pencil? - Where is my green pencil?

Hiselder brother writes poems. — His older brother writes poetry.

Allmy books are in the bag. — All my books are in my bag.

Bothhis friends smoke, but he doesn’t. Both of his friends smoke, but he doesn’t.

• Possessives pronouns-nouns(or absolute form). This subgroup is used without a noun and performs its function as a subject, a nominal part of a predicate or an object. They can appear either at the end or in the middle of a sentence.

As can be seen from the table, they are identical in meaning and translation, but the formation and use will have to be remembered. To make it easier to remember, look: his - the two forms are the same, I changes to mine, and the ending -s is added to all the others. Let's look at examples where the absolute form is used. According to lexical norms, it is advisable to use it so as not to duplicate the noun that was used in the previous replica.

Are these your spectacles? - No, they are not mine. - Are these your glasses? No, they are not mine.

Her house is not far from ours.— Her house is not far from ours.

Does this book belong to Mary? - No, It's yours.— Does this book belong to Mary? - No, it's yours.

Her score was better than theirs.“Her score was better than theirs.”

We'll leave her house after dinner, so we should be at yours before 10.

Translation

When translating from English into Russian, problems usually do not arise. You just have to remember all the forms. But in English! Here you often come across bumps that cause you to trip painfully. To ensure you are on the right path to learning a language, remember some features:

1. In the Russian version they can stand "his, theirs" , which can be translated by English possessive and personal pronouns. The first ones answer the question whose? whose?, and the second - whom? What?

I saw him. - I saw him (someone - personal).

This is his watch. - This is his watch (whose - possessive).

I met them. - I met them (whom - personal).

This is their home. - This is their house (whose is possessive).

2. Russian is also often a dead end. "mine", because in English there is no corresponding form. Therefore, we translate with one of the possessive pronouns, which depends on the subject.

I gave my car to my son. — I have given my car to my son.

He lost his keys. — He has lost his keys.

They gave us their food. — They gave us their food.

I don't have a ticket. Can you sell me yours? — I haven’t got a ticket. Can you sell me yours?

3. Very often in Russian in general absentT possessive pronoun, and in English it should be. Only if the meaning “your” is implied, is it necessary to use this part of speech. This is where many people make the mistake of using the instead of a pronoun. Most often, this situation occurs before nouns denoting parts of the body, family members, or clothing.

I told my wife everything. — I have told everything to my wife (not the wife - means to his wife.)

They put their hands in their pockets. - They put their hands into their pockets (your hands in your pockets).

Put on your coat! —Put on your coat!

There is nothing complicated here. If you need to insert possessive pronouns in an English sentence, then look at the presence of a noun: if there is, then the relative form, if not, then the absolute form. Of course, you need to do exercises to consolidate all the material.

Exercises

1. An old friend of (us, our, ours) telephoned yesterday and said he would visit (us, our, ours).
2. Is that picture on the wall (your, yours, you)?
3. (They, their, theirs) holiday starts the week after (we, our, ours).
4. Can we have (you, your, yours) suggestion first and then we’ll hear (he, him, his)?
5. I didn’t bother going to (she, her, hers) party and she won’t be coming to (me, my, mine).
6. (Us, our, ours) flight was delayed but (their, theirs, them) took off on time.
7. Can I borrow (your, yours, you) pen? — I’m sorry, it isn’t (my, mine, me).
8. Bob is one of (our, ours, us) best pupils.
9. She has no mistakes in (her, hers, she) test.
10. (My, mine, me) hands are cold, but (your, yours, you) are warm.

1. ours, us.
2.yours
3. theirs, ours
4. your, his
5. her, mine
6. ours, theirs
7. your, mine.
8.our
9. her
10. my, yours

Any student who begins to learn English from scratch on their own or with a teacher will already learn in the first lesson how to answer the question “ What's your name?” (Russian. What is your name?).

Answering “ My name is…“ (Russian. My name is...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(my, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian: yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to communicate in English.

We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them at all?

We use possessive pronouns for everything, but do we really own our lives, sisters, or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own it all?

~ Samantha Harvey

They may cause some misunderstanding on the part of those who are just starting to learn English and are encountering Possessive pronouns for the first time.

IN English grammar Two types of possessive pronouns coexist peacefully: Possessive Adjectives(possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). We will talk about them today in this article.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on keychains: I am yours (Russian. I am yours), And you are mine (Russian. And you are mine)

Let's first remember what a possessive pronoun is.

Possessive pronouns(mine, yours, ours, and others) indicate the attribute of belonging to a specific person and answer the question whose? In Russian they agree with the noun in number, gender and case.

What about English possessive pronouns? There are two forms of possessive pronouns in English ( Possessive adjectives and Possessive pronouns), which vary in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.

Let's take a closer look at both forms of possessive pronouns in English.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns in English, reminiscent of an adjective in its role in a sentence, and which are always used with a noun, are called Possessive Adjectives(rus. possessive adjective).

Below is a table of the formation of possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 2)

When we want to indicate ownership, we cannot use !

Offer He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and incorrect in both English and Russian. He is a personal pronoun. Replace it with a suitable possessive adjective his and get a grammatically and logically correct sentence: His name was Car l (Russian. His name was Karl)

Sometimes this form of possessive pronouns or Possessive Adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used independently, without a noun.

Remember!

Possessive pronouns-adjectives (Possessive Adjectives) in English they are used only in conjunction with a noun and always come before it.

Since dependent possessive pronouns resemble adjectives in their functionality, they also serve as a definition in a sentence.

Example sentences with possessive adjectives in English

Often, beginners learning English confuse possessive adjectives with abbreviated forms of the verb. to be:

your And you're (= you are)

its And it's (= it is)

Compare the use of possessive pronouns and the abbreviated form of the verb:

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in English that can be used in a sentence without a noun are called Possessive Pronouns(Russian possessive pronoun).

Possessive Pronouns also called absolute or independent form of possessive pronouns. In this form, nouns are never placed after possessive pronouns, since these pronouns are used instead of nouns.

Remember!

Absolute possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) in English are used without a noun and serve in a sentence as the subject, object, or nominal part of the predicate.

Below is a table of the formation of absolute possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 2)

English possessive pronouns in absolute form replace the possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) with a noun to avoid repetition of information, since everything is clear without it. For example:

This book is my book, not your book(Russian. This book is my book, not your book)

This book is mine, not yours(Russian. This book is mine, not yours)

As you noticed, in both Russian and English the second sentence sounds more natural. Let's look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronoun its in absolute form it is used extremely rarely, only in conjunction with the word own:

The cottage seems asleep yet, but it may have a life of its own(Russian. It seemed that the cottage was still sleeping, but perhaps it lived its own life).

My or Mine? Possessive pronoun or adjective?

The poster has an inscription with a striking example of the use of possessive pronouns in the dependent and absolute forms: “Because my body is mine (belongs to me!)”

As already mentioned, we use possessive adjectives and pronouns, when we need to express ownership. Both forms are translated into Russian in the same way.

Possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) is always used followed by a noun:

This is my pen(Russian: This is my pen), where my– possessive adjective, pen – following noun.

Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used independently, without an accompanying word:

This pen is mine(Russian: This pen is mine), where mine– a possessive pronoun after which we DO NOT NEED a noun.

Comparison chart of possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to emphasize someone or something, it is better to use the absolute form.

Translation of English possessive pronouns

There is no difference in the meaning of possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and their translation into Russian.

English possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form are translated into Russian in the same way, but there are a few things you need to know about.

Translation of the possessive pronoun your into English

In English there is no special possessive pronoun corresponding to the Russian possessive pronoun ""svoy"".

Russian pronoun ""your"" translated into English appropriate possessive pronouns.

Examples of sentences in English with translation of the pronoun your

English possessive pronouns are usually not translated into Russian when they are combined with nouns denoting parts of the body or items of clothing, but are always present before the noun.

In Russian, possessive pronouns are usually not used with similar nouns. Compare English sentences with possessive sentences with translation:

Special cases of using possessive pronouns

Using the Of yours structure

Very often (especially in American English) you can hear the following construction: a friend/some friends of + mine, yours, etc:

I saw a friend of yours last night(Russian: I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.

Here are some friends of mine(Russian: Here are my friends) = Here are my friends.

Offers I saw one of your friends last night and I saw a friend of yours last night will be translated the same way: “Last night I saw one of your friends.” However, there is a slight semantic difference.

Let's look at phrases “my friend” And “a friend of mine”.

“My friend” will be said about close friend. If you call a person “my friend”, it means you and him are warm and trusting relationship. But each of us has people with whom we just have a good relationship. These are just our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly what we need here: “a friend of mine”.

The indefinite article itself indicates to us that “one of” friends, someone indefinite:

This is my friend Jessica.(“my friend” – before the name)

This is Jessica, a friend of mine.(“a friend of mine” – after the name)

With the phrase "a friend of mine" one is associated fun fact. In English-speaking culture there is a concept "urban myth"(BrE) or "urban legend"(AmE). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event.

We call these stories "tales" or "fiction". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.

Most of these stories (or “tales”) begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

When to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely

You've probably already come across the phrases Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely at the end official letter, For example:

Yours sincerely, Mary Wilkinson(Russian: Sincerely yours, Mary Wilkinson).

At business correspondence- these are irreplaceable phrases that need to be written at the end of the letter. Read more about the features of business English.

Examples of using the phrases “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely”

Using an English noun in the genitive case

Possessive nouns can be used as possessive pronouns to talk about belonging to someone in particular.

As a rule, the use of nouns in the possessive case does not affect the form of possessive pronouns, for example:

Whose cell phone is that? - It's John's.(Russian. Whose phone is this? - Jonah.)

Who do these computers belong to? - They "re our parents".(Russian: Who owns these computers? – Our parents.)

The relationship of belonging or involvement of one object to another can also be indicated using possessive case (The Possessive case). which we will talk about in our next article.

Possessive pronouns in English: video

To finally consolidate the acquired knowledge, we recommend that you watch a video about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

English Grammar Lessons - Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Finally:

In this article, we tried to explain as simply as possible the use of possessive pronouns in English and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.

We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have any questions on this topic and you will be able to use this grammar correctly in your speech and writing.

Stay on our site and you will discover a lot from the world of English grammar!

Exercises on possessive pronouns

Now we invite you to test your knowledge of possessive pronouns in English by completing the following test.

Choose the correct option (insert either a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun):

Jane has already eaten her lunch, but I"m saving hers/her/my/mine until later.

She has broken hers/her/his leg.

My mobile needs to be fixed, but mine/his/our/their is working.

You/Yours/Mine/My computer is a Mac, but you/your/yours/my is a PC.

We gave them ours/mine/our/yours telephone number, and they gave us their/theirs/ours/mine.

Mine/My/Your/Your pencil is broken. Can I borrow you/yours/him/its?

Ours/Our/Your/My car is cheap, but you/your/yours/my is expensive.

You can"t have any chocolate! It"s all mine/my/our/yours!

In contact with

: my, his, her, our, its, their, mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs.

1. Possessive pronouns in English also have categories of gender, number and person, as well as personal pronouns.
2. Possessive pronouns have two forms: independent (or absolute) and dependent (or combined).

Dependent form of possessive pronouns

The dependent form of possessive pronouns is used in cases where the pronoun stands before defined by a noun. In a sentence, it usually acts as a definition.

If you don't stop taking my toys, I will take your ones.

If you don't stop taking my toys, I'll take yours.

Their friend is the strongest in our class.

Their friend is the strongest in our class.

Independent form of possessive pronouns

The independent form of possessive pronouns is used in cases where there is no qualifying noun. In a sentence it can serve as a subject, predicate or object.

My pencil is broken, give me yours.

My pencil is broken, give me yours.

Whose computer is this? - It's mine.

WhoseThiscomputer? - My.

He is a friend of hers.

He's her friend.

1. Possessive pronouns in English are often used with body parts, items of clothing, and things belonging to a particular person. As a rule, in such cases they are not translated into Russian.

You should clean your teeth every day.

You should brush your teeth every day.

She always helps her mother with household duties.

She always helps her mother around the house.

The girl dropped her handkerchief and the boy picked it up.

The girl dropped her handkerchief and the boy picked it up.

English Joke

After just a few years of marriage, filled with constant arguments, a young man and his wife decided the only way to save their marriage was to try counseling. They had been at each other’s throat for some time and felt that this was their last straw. When they arrived at the counselor’s office, the counselor jumped right in and opened the floor for discussion.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Immediately, the husband held his long face down without anything to say. On the other hand, the wife began talking 90 miles an hour describing all the wrongs within their marriage. After 5 - 10 - 15 minutes of listening to the wife, the counselor went over to her, picked her up by her shoulders, kissed her passionately for several minutes, and sat her back down. Afterwards, the wife sat there speechless.
He looked over at the husband who was staring in disbelief at what had happened. The counselor spoke to the husband, “Your wife NEEDS that at least twice a week!”
The husband scratched his head and replied, “I can have her here on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”