Possessive Adjectives

01

Standard Forms

Here is the list of possessive adjectives based on the owner:

• mijn (my)
• jouw (your - singular, informal)
• zijn (his / its)
• haar (her)
• uw (your - singular/plural, formal)
• jullie (your - plural, informal)
• hun (their)

• Dat is mijn fiets.

  That is my bicycle.

• Waar is jouw jas?

  Where is your coat?

• Zij bezoekt haar oma.

  She is visiting her grandmother.

• Jan en zijn broer zijn hier.

  Jan and his brother are here.

02

The Exception: Ons vs. Onze

While most possessive adjectives do not change form based on the noun that follows, the word for "our" has two forms: ons and onze. The correct choice depends on the grammatical gender of the noun.

Using 'Onze'

Use onze for all plural nouns and for singular nouns that use the article de (masculine and feminine words).

• Onze auto is rood.

  Our car is red.

• Zijn dit onze stoelen?

  Are these our chairs?

Using 'Ons'

Use ons only for singular nouns that use the article het (neuter words).

• Dit is ons huis.

  This is our house.

• Ons water is koud.

  Our water is cold.

Note that if a het-word becomes plural, it acts like a de-word, so you must switch back to onze.

• Het kind, ons kind.

  The child, our child.

• De kinderen, onze kinderen.

  The children, our children.

03

Formal vs. Informal Address

Dutch distinguishes between formal and informal address. When speaking to friends, family, or children, use jouw (singular) or jullie (plural). When speaking to strangers, superiors, or older people, use uw.

• Mag ik uw paspoort zien?

  May I see your passport?

• Meneer, u bent uw bril vergeten.

  Sir, you forgot your glasses.

• Jongens, is dit jullie bal?

  Boys, is this your ball?

04

Spelling Pitfall: Jou vs. Jouw

A very common spelling mistake, even for native speakers, occurs between jou and jouw. They are often pronounced exactly the same.

• jou is an object pronoun (equivalent to English "you" in "I see you").
• jouw is the possessive adjective (equivalent to English "your").

To check which one to use, try replacing the word with mijn (my). If the sentence still makes grammatical sense, you need the possessive jouw (with a w).

• Ik geef het aan jou.

  I give it to you. (Object)

• Is dit jouw boek?

  Is this your book? (Possessive)

05

Spoken Dutch: Reduced Forms

In spoken Dutch and informal text messages, possessive adjectives are often unstressed and shortened. You will frequently hear or see these "reduced" forms:

• mijn becomes m'n
• zijn becomes z'n
• jouw becomes je
• haar becomes d'r (short for d'r, referring to haar)

While it is good to recognize these when listening, it is safer for learners to write the full forms until they are very comfortable with the language.

• Ik ben m'n telefoon kwijt.

  I lost my phone. (Spoken/Informal)

• Hij poetst z'n tanden.

  He is brushing his teeth. (Spoken/Informal)