mamma mín
Family Words Without the Article
To say "my mom" or "my brother", put the possessive after the family word and use no article: mamma mín, bróðir minn.
How It Works
Two patterns
Family words: no article
- mamma mín (my mom)
- pabbi minn (my dad)
- bróðir minn, systir mín
- sonur minn, dóttir mín
Other nouns: article + possessive
- bíllinn minn (my car)
- húsið mitt (my house)
- síminn minn (my phone)
- kennarinn minn (my teacher)
Who counts as family here?
Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, aunts, uncles and cousins: frændi minn, frænka mín. vinur minn (my friend) and vinkona mín work the same way.
Husband and wife are different
When kona means wife and maður means husband, they take the article: konan mín (my wife), maðurinn minn (my husband). So does barnið mitt (my child).
The possessive agrees and declines
The possessive matches the family word in gender, number and case: bróðir minn but systir mín; með bróður mínum; Ég hringi í mömmu mína. The same holds for þinn, and for hans and hennar, which do not change: pabbi hans, bíllinn hennar. See My and Your (minn, þinn) and Possessives in All Cases.
Putting minn before the noun, as in minn bíll, is mostly used for contrast: "my car, not yours".
Examples (6)
- Mamma mín er kennari.
My mom is a teacher.
Word by Word: Mom my is teacher.
mamma is a family word, so there is no article.
- Systir mín á tvö börn.
My sister has two children.
Word by Word: Sister my owns two children.
systir is feminine, so the possessive is mín.
- Ég fór í bíó með bróður mínum.
I went to the movies with my brother.
Word by Word: I went in cinema with brother my.
með takes the dative here, so both words change: bróður mínum.
- Þetta er vinkona mín, hún Anna.
This is my friend Anna.
Word by Word: This is friend my, she Anna.
vinkona works like a family word: no article.
- Bíllinn minn er í viðgerð.
My car is being repaired.
Word by Word: Car-the my is in repair.
bíll is not a family word, so it takes the article before minn.
- Konan mín er frá Danmörku.
My wife is from Denmark.
Word by Word: Woman-the my is from Denmark.
kona meaning wife takes the article.
Common Mistakes
Adding the article to a family word.
Mamman mín er kennari.Mamma mín er kennari.Family words take the possessive without the article: mamma mín, pabbi minn, systir mín.
Choosing the possessive by the speaker instead of the noun.
Bróðir mín býr í Noregi.Bróðir minn býr í Noregi.The possessive agrees with the family word, not with you. bróðir is masculine, so it is minn, even if the speaker is a woman.
Forgetting to decline both words.
Ég hringdi í mamma mín.Ég hringdi í mömmu mína.hringja í takes the accusative. mamma becomes mömmu, and mín becomes mína to match.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Family words build on possessives.
Related Patterns
- hans / hennar / okkar / ykkar / þeirraHis, Her, Our and Their
These possessives follow family words too, without changing: pabbi hans.
Level 1 - -inn / -in / -iðThe Article at the End of the Noun
Other nouns take this article before the possessive: bíllinn minn.
Level 1 - Possessives in All Cases
Shows every case form of minn, as in bróður mínum and mömmu mína.
Level 3 - faðir / móðir / bróðir / systir / dóttirFamily Words (Faðir, Móðir)
Shows how the family words themselves decline.
Level 3 - hann JónPronoun Before a Name (Hann Jón)
Family words can also take a pronoun before them: hún mamma.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice mamma mín in Bubblegum
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