deins

Deins is a German possessive pronoun used as a stand-alone reference meaning "yours" in informal speech. It corresponds to the possessive determiner dein (your) when the noun it modifies is omitted, as in response to a question about ownership. For example, in answer to "Wem gehört das Buch?" one might say "Deins" or "Das ist Deins." Deins can be used for singular, informal second-person ownership and is part of a broader family of pronoun forms such as meins (mine) and seins (his).

Formation and use

Deins is formed from the possessive determiner dein plus a suffix that marks it as a pronoun referring to ownership rather than describing a noun. It is most common in colloquial and informal contexts, including everyday conversation, text messages, and casual writing. The pronoun can also appear capitalized when treated as a nominal form in writing, for emphasis or at the start of a sentence (e.g., "Deins ist auf dem Tisch.").

Variants and related forms

The set of corresponding stand-alone possessive pronouns in German includes meins (mine), deins (yours), seins (his), ihres (hers or theirs, depending on context), unseres (ours), eures (yours, plural informal), and ihres (theirs). These forms function like nouns and can be declined or inflected as needed in sentences.

See also

Meins, seins, ihres, possessive pronouns, German grammar.

Note

Deins is informal and contrasts with the formal possessive pronoun Ihr (your, formal) in contexts that require politeness or distance. The exact capitalization can vary by style guide and authorial preference.