Latest / Learn German with Fexingo / German Possessives: Mein, Dein, Sein
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another little German adventure? Luna: Absolutely. I've been practicing the directions from last time, geradeaus, links, rechts. I'm getting better. Lucas: That's great to hear. And if Fexingo has been helping you make progress, you might want to support us, but we'll get to that in a bit. Today, let's talk about something you use all the time: saying what belongs to you. Luna: Oh, like 'my' and 'your'? I've been wondering about that. Lucas: Exactly. In German, we have these little words: mein, dein, sein. They mean 'my', 'your', and 'his'. Luna: Mein, dein, sein. They sound kind of alike. Lucas: They do, but don't worry. We'll practice them a lot. Listen: mein.... mein. Luna: Mein. Lucas: Perfect. Now dein.... dein. Luna: Dein. Lucas: And sein.... sein. Luna: Sein. This is easy so far. Lucas: Let's put them in a sentence. Das ist mein Buch. That means 'This is my book'. Luna: Das ist mein Buch. Your book? No, my book. Lucas: Yep, your book. Now you try. Point to something of yours. Luna: Das ist mein Stift. This is my pen. Lucas: Exactly. Now let's ask a question. Ist das dein Stift? Is that your pen? Luna: Ist das dein Stift? So 'dein' is for 'your', when I'm asking you. Lucas: Right. Now what if I want to say 'his'? For example, if we see a man with a car, we can say: Das ist sein Auto. Luna: Das ist sein Auto. That's his car. Lucas: Good. Now let's do a little scene. Imagine you're at a friend's house and you see a book on the table. How do you ask if it's his? Luna: Ist das dein Buch? Hmm, but if it's his, should I say 'dein' or 'sein'? Lucas: Good question. If you're talking to the friend, you use 'dein'. If you're talking about the friend to someone else, you use 'sein'. So to the friend: Ist das dein Buch? Luna: Ist das dein Buch? Lucas: And to me about him, you'd say: Das ist sein Buch. Luna: Das ist sein Buch. Okay, that makes sense. Lucas: Let's do a quick review. What does 'mein' mean? Luna: My. Lucas: And 'dein'? Luna: Your. Lucas: And 'sein'? Luna: His. Lucas: Perfect. Now, you might notice that these little words change depending on who owns the thing. But for now, we're just focusing on these three. Practice them a lot. Luna: I will. But I have a question. What if it's hers? Do we say something different? Lucas: Ah, that's for another episode. Today we stick with mein, dein, sein. Luna: Got it. So, if I want to say 'this is my coffee', I say 'Das ist mein Kaffee.' Lucas: Exactly. And if I ask you 'Ist das dein Kaffee?', you can say 'Ja, das ist mein Kaffee.' Luna: Ja, das ist mein Kaffee. I like that. Lucas: You know, this episode is made possible by listeners like you. If Fexingo has been helping you get better at German, a couple of dollars a month can really keep us going. You can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to say thanks. And we really appreciate it. Lucas: Now, let's go back to our sentences. Imagine you're at the park and you see a dog. Whose dog is it? You can ask the owner: Ist das dein Hund? Luna: Ist das dein Hund? Lucas: And if the owner says yes, you can say to your friend: Das ist sein Hund. Or her dog, but we'll save that. Luna: Das ist sein Hund. I like dogs. So, to recap: mein for my, dein for your, sein for his. Lucas: Let's do a little challenge. I'll say a sentence, you tell me what it means. Das ist mein Tisch. Luna: This is my table. Lucas: Ich finde dein Buch sehr gut. Luna: I think your book is very good. Lucas: Very nice. And das ist sein Stuhl. Luna: That is his chair. Lucas: Perfect. You're getting the hang of it. Now, one more thing: try saying 'that is my phone'. Luna: Das ist mein Handy. Lucas: Great. And 'is that your water?' Luna: Ist das dein Wasser? Lucas: And 'that is his bike'. Luna: Das ist sein Fahrrad. Lucas: You did it. See, you're already using possessives like a pro. Luna: This was fun. I think I'll practice these while I'm out today. Lucas: That's the spirit. Keep practicing until we chat again.