minn / þinn

My and Your (Minn, Þinn)

Level 1

minn means my and þinn means your. They go after the noun: bíllinn minn (my car), taskan þín (your bag).

How It Works

The forms. The possessive agrees with the noun it describes, so look at the gender and number of the thing owned:

  • Masculine: bíllinn minn (my car), bíllinn þinn (your car)
  • Feminine: taskan mín (my bag), taskan þín (your bag)
  • Neuter: húsið mitt (my house), húsið þitt (your house)
  • Plural: vinir mínir (masculine), bækurnar mínar (feminine), börnin mín (neuter), and likewise þínir, þínar, þín

It does not matter who the owner is. A woman says bíllinn minn, because bíll is masculine. See noun gender.

Word order. The everyday pattern is noun with the article, then the possessive: síminn minn (my phone), íbúðin þín (your apartment). Putting the possessive first, as in minn bíll, is possible but stresses the owner: my car, not yours. Family words such as mamma mín and pabbi minn usually have no article; see mamma mín.

Þinn is for one person. When you talk to several people, use ykkar instead: húsið ykkar. See hans/hennar/okkar/ykkar/þeirra.

Case. minn and þinn also change with the case of the noun. For example, taskan mín becomes töskuna mína as an object. You will learn all the forms in minn in all cases.

Examples (6)

  1. Þetta er bíllinn minn.

    This is my car.

    Word by Word: This is car-the my.

  2. Hvar er taskan þín?

    Where is your bag?

    Word by Word: Where is bag-the your?

    taska is feminine, so your is þín.

  3. Húsið mitt er lítið.

    My house is small.

    Word by Word: House-the my is small.

    hús is neuter, so my is mitt.

  4. Börnin mín búa í Reykjavík.

    My children live in Reykjavík.

    Word by Word: Children-the my live in Reykjavík.

    börn is neuter plural, and the neuter plural form is mín.

  5. Vinir þínir eru skemmtilegir.

    Your friends are fun.

    Word by Word: Friends your are fun.

  6. Ég finn ekki símann minn.

    I can't find my phone.

    Word by Word: I find not phone-the my.

    síminn becomes símann as an object, but masculine minn keeps the same form here.

Common Mistakes

  • Matching the possessive to the owner instead of to the thing owned.

    Bíllinn mín er rauður.
    Bíllinn minn er rauður.

    A woman may pick mín because she is female, but the possessive follows the noun. bíll is masculine, so the form is minn.

  • Using the singular neuter mitt with a plural noun.

    Börnin mitt eru heima.
    Börnin mín eru heima.

    börnin is plural, so it needs the plural form mín. mitt is only for one neuter thing, as in húsið mitt.

How It Connects

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

minn / þinnLevel 1My and Your (Minn, Þinn)

Learn This First

minn and þinn build on the attached article.

Words in This Pattern

minnmínmittminnþinnþínþittþinn