meine

Meine is a German word with two related grammatical functions: as a possessive determiner meaning “my” before a noun, and as a possessive pronoun meaning “mine” when the noun is omitted.

As a determiner, meine accompanies feminine singular nouns and all plural nouns; masculine and neuter singular nouns use mein. The form also changes with grammatical case in more complex sentences. Examples: Meine Schwester kocht gern. Meine Bücher liegen hier. By contrast, masculine examples would use mein, as in Mein Vater ist Lehrer.

As a pronoun, meine can stand in for a noun and translate to “mine” in appropriate contexts. For instance, in response to a question about ownership one might say Meine or Meine Bücher, depending on what is being referred to; more generally, the pronoun form can alternate with context, with meins (and related forms) used in many common constructions.

Etymology and cognates: Meine derives from the Germanic possessive system and is related to forms in other Germanic languages. Cognates include English mine, Dutch mijn, and Icelandic mín, illustrating a shared ancestor in Proto-Germanic. In modern German, meine remains a frequent and essential element of everyday speech and writing, especially in expressions of personal possession and reference.

See also: German grammar, possessive pronouns, possessive adjectives.