de mijne/die van mij

Mine, Yours, Theirs

Level 4

Dutch uses two main ways to express standalone possessives like 'mine' or 'yours': the inflected form (de mijne) and the periphrastic form (die van mij). The choice depends on the gender of the noun being replaced and the level of formality.

How It Works

In Dutch, you cannot simply use a possessive adjective like mijn (my) on its own. You must use one of two specific constructions:

1. The Inflected Form (Formal/Standard)
This follows the pattern: Article (de/het) + Stem + -e.

  • For de-words and all plurals: de mijne, de jouwe, de uwe, de zijne, de hare, de onze, de hunne.
  • For het-words (singular): het mijne, het jouwe, het uwe, het zijne, het hare, het onze, het hunne.
  • Note: The possessor jullie (you plural) does not have an inflected form.
  • Idiomatic Nuance: Het mijne can also mean "my opinion/part" (e.g., Ik denk er het mijne van), and the plural de mijnen can formally refer to "my people/family."

2. The Periphrastic Form (Casual/Spoken)
This is the most common form in daily speech. It uses a demonstrative pronoun followed by van and an object pronoun.

  • For de-words and all plurals: die van mij, die van jou, die van ons, die van jullie, etc.
  • For het-words (singular): dat van mij, dat van jou, dat van ons, dat van jullie, etc.
  • Mandatory Use: Because jullie lacks an inflected form, using die/dat van jullie is the only grammatical option for this possessor.

3. Emphasis and Predicate Use

  • Emphasis: While de mijne focuses on the object being possessed, the periphrastic form (die van mij) often places more emphasis on the possessor.
  • Predicate Use: When the possessive comes after the verb 'to be' (e.g., 'The book is mine'), Dutch usually just uses van + pronoun: Dat boek is van mij.

Examples (5)

  1. Jouw auto is nieuw, maar de mijne is al oud.

    Your car is new, but mine is already old.

    Word by Word: Your car is new, but the mine is already old.

    Here, 'de mijne' replaces 'mijn auto'. Since 'auto' is a de-word, we use 'de' and add '-e' to the stem.

  2. Ik kan mijn pen niet vinden. Mag ik die van jou lenen?

    I can't find my pen. May I borrow yours?

    Word by Word: I can my pen not find. May I that of you borrow?

    This is the common spoken form. 'Die van jou' refers back to 'de pen'.

  3. Is dit jouw huis of het zijne?

    Is this your house or his?

    Word by Word: Is this your house or the his?

    Since 'huis' is a het-word, the formal standalone possessive becomes 'het zijne'.

  4. Onze tuin is groot, maar die van jullie is groter.

    Our garden is big, but yours (plural) is bigger.

    Word by Word: Our garden is big, but that of you is bigger.

    Because 'jullie' has no inflected form (no 'de jullieë'), you must use the 'van' construction.

  5. Dit boek is niet van mij, het is van haar.

    This book isn't mine, it is hers.

    Word by Word: This book is not of me, it is of her.

    When used as a predicate (after the verb 'zijn'), the simple 'van + pronoun' is the most natural choice.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the possessive adjective alone.

    Deze tas is mijn.
    Deze tas is van mij. / Deze tas is de mijne.

    In English you can say 'This is my bag' or 'This is mine'. In Dutch, 'mijn' can only be used before a noun. Standalone, you need 'van mij' or 'de mijne'.

  • Mixing the two patterns.

    Die fiets is van mijne.
    Die fiets is van mij. / Die fiets is de mijne.

    Do not add the '-e' ending when using the 'van' construction. It is either 'van mij' or 'de mijne', never a hybrid.

  • Using 'de' for a 'het-word' replacement.

    Het is een mooi kind. Is het de jouwe?
    Het is een mooi kind. Is het het jouwe? / Is het dat van jou?

    The article must match the gender of the noun being replaced. Since 'kind' is a het-word, you must use 'het' or 'dat'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

de mijne/die van mijLevel 4Mine, Yours, Theirs

Learn This First

To understand independent possessives like 'de mijne' or 'die van mij', you first need to know the basic possessive adjectives (mijn, jouw, etc.). You also need to understand how 'van' is used to show possession and how adjectives are inflected with an '-e' ending, as 'de mijne' functions similarly to an inflected adjective standing alone.

Words in This Pattern

vandie