mijn

Mijn is a Dutch word with two major meanings. As a possessive determiner, it means “my” and is used directly before a noun, for example mijn huis (my house) or mijn boeken (my books). It agrees with the noun in number: you say mijn huis for singular and mijn boeken for plural. The word does not take an apostrophe. In phrases that refer to ownership without a following noun, Dutch often uses a periphrasis such as van mij (of mine) or the independent possessive pronoun form de mijne/het mijne in contexts where a noun is omitted.

As a noun, mijn means “mine” in the sense of a place where minerals are extracted. The singular is de mijn, and the plural is mijnen. This sense appears in terms like mijnwerk (mining work), mijnbouw (mining industry), and in the names of specific mining sites, e.g., de mijn in Heerlen. The mining sense is common in historical and industrial contexts, particularly when discussing coal, metal, or other mineral extraction.

Etymology and cognates: the possessive determiner mijn is related to similar forms in German mein and other West Germanic languages, reflecting a common Proto-Germanic origin for the first-person possessive. The noun mijn for a mining site has its own development within Dutch vocabulary and appears predominantly in technical or regional usage.

In summary, mijn primarily functions as the Dutch possessive determiner “my,” while it also denotes a mining site when used as a noun. The two meanings are distinct but share the same spelling in modern Dutch.