Dit is mijn fiets.
English: This is my bicycle.
- Language
- Dutch
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Overige constructies
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
A possessive construction in Dutch shows who owns or has something. It tells us that something belongs to someone.
When to use it
Use a possessive construction to say who something belongs to, like someone's book, house, or friend.
Key forms
- bezittelijke voornaamwoorden: mijn, jouw, uw, zijn, haar, ons/onze, jullie, hun
- de bezits-s: naam + 's (bijvoorbeeld: Anna's boek)
- van-constructie: het boek van Anna
Examples
Zijn hond is groot.
English: His dog is big.
Anna's tas ligt op de tafel.
English: Anna's bag is on the table.
Het huis van mijn ouders is mooi.
English: The house of my parents is beautiful.
Tips
- Use 'mijn' for 'my', 'jouw' for 'your' (informal), and 'uw' for 'your' (formal).
- Use 'ons' for 'our' with 'het'-words and 'onze' with 'de'-words.
- Don't use both a possessive pronoun and a van-phrase together.
Exceptions and edge cases
- For names ending with -s, -x, or -z, add only an apostrophe: Thomas' boek.