my

My is a possessive determiner in English used to indicate that something belongs to the speaker or to someone associated with the speaker. It precedes a noun, as in my house, my friend, or my ideas. It cannot stand alone before a noun in standard usage; the corresponding independent possessive pronoun is mine (That book is mine).

In standard syntax, my accompanies a noun directly and is not preceded by other determiners, though the phrase my own is a common exception used for emphasis, as in my own views. The pronoun form mine can function independently, as in That book is mine, and it originates from the same root as my.

Etymology and cognates: my derives from Old English mīn (and related forms) and is historically related to the German mein and Dutch mijn. The distinction between a possessive determiner (my) and a possessive pronoun (mine) reflects a broader Germanic pattern in which adjectival possessives and substantive possessives have different forms.

Usage notes: My is used across varied registers, from everyday speech to formal writing, and appears in many fixed phrases such as my goodness or my friend. In certain contexts, it can convey warmth or familiarity when addressing someone, but in standard prose it simply marks ownership. It is not inflected for person beyond the first person, and its form remains constant regardless of gender or number of the possessor.

Other uses: In international contexts, MY is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for Malaysia, and .my is the corresponding internet top-level domain. The sequence also appears in various abbreviations and branding, separate from its grammatical role in English.