Deinen

Deinen is a form of the German possessive determiner dein, meaning “your” in informal address. It is used before masculine singular nouns in the accusative case (for example, Ich sehe deinen Hund) and before plural nouns in the dative case (for example, Wir sprechen mit deinen Freunden). The form helps indicate possession by the person addressed as du, distinguishing it from the formal possessive Ihr.

Declension and forms

As a possessive determiner, dein declines like other possessive determiners. The standard endings are:

- Masculine singular: Nom dein; Acc deinen; Dat deinem; Gen deines

- Feminine singular: Nom deine; Acc deine; Dat deiner; Gen deiner

- Neuter singular: Nom dein; Acc dein; Dat deinem; Gen deines

- Plural: Nom deine; Acc deine; Dat deinen; Gen deiner

Thus, deinen appears as the accusative masculine singular form and as the dative plural form (e.g., mit deinen Freunden).

Usage notes

Deinen differs from dein in isolation as it is one specific inflection used before nouns. For possessive pronouns used independently, forms like deins or deiner may occur in colloquial speech, but such usage is distinct from the determiner preceding a noun. In formal writing or speech, the corresponding possessive determiner for the polite “you” is Ihr, not dein.

Etymology and related forms

Dein is part of the Germanic family of possessive determiners, closely related to mein, dein, sein and ihr. It shares a common origin in the early Germanic pronominal system and reflects gender, number, and case in its endings.

See also

German possessive determiners, possessive pronouns, du and ihr forms.