viņa / viņas / mūsu / jūsu / viņu

His, Her, Our and Their

Level 1

viņa his · viņas her · mūsu our · jūsu your · viņu their. Always the same form: viņas brālis, viņas māsa, viņas draugi.

How It Works

The forms.

  • viņa: his, when the owner is viņš. viņa māja (his house)
  • viņas: her, when the owner is viņa. viņas brālis (her brother)
  • mūsu: our. mūsu skola (our school)
  • jūsu: your, to several people or politely to one. jūsu soma (your bag)
  • viņu: their, for men, women or a mixed group. viņu bērni (their children)

They never change. The noun changes, but these words stay the same: viņa māja, viņa brālis, Es redzu viņa māju. (I see his house.) After ir they can stand alone: Šī soma ir viņas. (This bag is hers.)

The owner decides. Choose by the owner, not by the thing owned. A woman's brother is viņas brālis, and a man's sister is viņa māsa.

Same spelling, different jobs. These words look like other pronoun forms. Their place in the sentence tells them apart:

  • viņa is "she" as a subject (Viņa strādā.) and "his" before a noun (viņa darbs).
  • viņas is "her" before a noun and also "they" for a group of women.
  • viņu is "their" before a noun (viņu māja) and "him" or "her" as an object (Es viņu redzu.).

See subject pronouns and object pronouns.

One's own. When the owner is the subject of the same sentence, use savs: Viņš mīl savu sievu. (He loves his wife.) Viņš mīl viņa sievu would mean another man's wife. For my and your with tu, see mans and tavs.

Examples (6)

  1. Viņa māja ir liela.

    His house is big.

    Word by Word: His house is big.

    Before a noun, viņa means his.

  2. Viņas brālis strādā bankā.

    Her brother works at a bank.

    Word by Word: Her brother works in-bank.

  3. Mūsu skola ir tur.

    Our school is over there.

    Word by Word: Our school is there.

  4. Vai tā ir jūsu soma?

    Is that your bag?

    Word by Word: Q that is your bag?

    Jūsu is polite, or for several people.

  5. Viņu bērni runā latviski.

    Their children speak Latvian.

    Word by Word: Their children speak Latvian-ly.

  6. Es redzu viņa māju.

    I see his house.

    Word by Word: I see his house.

    Māja changes to māju, but viņa stays the same.

Common Mistakes

  • Using viņa (his) for a woman's things.

    Man ir māsa. Viņa vārds ir Līga.
    Man ir māsa. Viņas vārds ir Līga.

    Before a noun, viņa means his. The owner here is a woman, so her is viņas.

  • Using the subject pronoun viņš as his.

    Viņš sieva ir ārste.
    Viņa sieva ir ārste.

    Viņš means he. Before a noun, his is viņa.

  • Using viņa when the owner is the subject of the sentence.

    Viņš mīl viņa sievu.
    Viņš mīl savu sievu.

    The intended meaning is: he loves his own wife. Viņa sievu would be another man's wife. The subject's own wife is savu sievu.

How It Connects

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

viņa / viņas / mūsu / jūsu / viņuLevel 1His, Her, Our and Their

Learn This First

His, her, our and their follow my and your.

Words in This Pattern

viņasjūsuviņuviņu