my/jou/sy/haar + Noun
Possessives: My, Your, His, Her
my huis (my house) · jou fiets (your bike) · sy kar (his car) · haar ma (her mom). Sy before a verb means she, but sy before a noun means his.
How It Works
The singular possessives
- my — my: my huis, my boeke
- jou — your (one person, informal): jou fiets. The polite form is u: u naam.
- sy — his, and its for things and animals: sy kar, Die hond eet sy kos.
- haar — her: haar ma
Sy has two meanings
Before a verb, sy is the pronoun she. Before a noun, it means his. In Sy bel haar ma, the first word is she and haar means her. See Subject Pronouns Singular.
Words that are not possessives
- hom means only him, never his: say sy boek, not hom boek.
- dit is never used for its. A thing's possession uses sy.
- For a noun or name as owner, use se: Jan se kar.
No article comes before these words: my huis, not die my huis. When the noun is left out, use the independent forms myne, joune, syne, hare. See Mine, Yours, Theirs. For our, your (plural) and their, see Possessives: Our, Your, Their.
Examples (6)
- Dit is my huis.
This is my house.
Word by Word: It is my house.
- Is dit jou fiets?
Is this your bike?
Word by Word: Is it your bike?
- Pieter parkeer sy kar voor die huis.
Pieter parks his car in front of the house.
Word by Word: Pieter parks his car before the house.
- Sy bel haar ma elke dag.
She calls her mom every day.
Word by Word: She calls her mom every day.
The first sy is she, because a verb follows it.
- Die hond eet sy kos.
The dog is eating its food.
Word by Word: The dog eats its food.
Sy also means its for animals and things.
- Hy en sy vrou woon in Pretoria.
He and his wife live in Pretoria.
Word by Word: He and his wife live in Pretoria.
Common Mistakes
Using the object pronoun hom to mean his.
Hy lees hom boek.Hy lees sy boek.Hom means him. Before a noun, his is sy.
Using sy for a female owner.
Maria bel sy ma.Maria bel haar ma.If Maria is calling her own mother, the word is haar. Maria bel sy ma means she calls some man's mother.
Using dit se to mean its.
Die kat speel met dit se bal.Die kat speel met sy bal.Afrikaans has no possessive form of dit. Its is sy.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The singular possessives share several forms with the object pronouns.
Related Patterns
- ons/julle/hulle + NounPossessives: Our, Your, Their
These are the plural possessives: our, your and their.
Level 1 - Noun + sePossession with Se
When the owner is a noun or a name, use se instead of a possessive pronoun.
Level 1 - myne/joune/syne/hare/s'nMine, Yours, Theirs
Without a following noun, my becomes myne, jou becomes joune, and so on.
Level 2 - ek/jy/hy/sy/ditSubject Pronouns Singular
Sy is also the subject pronoun she.
Level 1 - No Noun Gender
The owner, not the noun, decides between sy and haar.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice my/jou/sy/haar + Noun in Bubblegum
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