Deutsch · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Family
Introduce relatives with possessives that match the noun, not the owner.
Understand the choice
Family vocabulary doubles as an introduction to noun gender. Learn every person with an article, then let mein/meine show whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural.
Core rule: Mein takes an -e before feminine singular nouns in the nominative: meine Schwester, but mein Bruder.
Notice it in context
Meine Schwester heißt Lena, und mein Bruder heißt Paul.
My sister is called Lena, and my brother is called Paul.
Meine agrees with feminine Schwester; mein agrees with masculine Bruder.
Meine Eltern wohnen in Köln.
My parents live in Cologne.
Plural Eltern takes meine and plural wohnen.
Mein Opa spielt mit dem Kind.
My grandfather plays with the child.
Opa takes mein; mit requires dative dem Kind.
What to remember
- Eltern is used only in the plural; one parent is ein Elternteil.
- Oma and Opa are familiar forms; Großmutter and Großvater are formal or explicit.
Common trap: Do not choose meine because the speaker is female. The following noun controls the ending.