wiem säin

Whose: Wiem Säin

Level 3

Wiem säin Hond ass dat? (Whose dog is that?) Wiem seng Täsch ass dat? (Whose bag is that?) Wiem asks about the owner, and säin or seng agrees with the thing.

How It Works

1. Choosing säin or seng
The possessive agrees with the owned noun:

  • Masculine: Wiem säin Hond ass dat? (den Hond)
  • Neuter: Wiem säi Buch ass dat? (d'Buch; säin becomes säi before B)
  • Feminine: Wiem seng Täsch ass dat? (d'Täsch)
  • Plural: Wiem seng Schong sinn dat?

2. The n-rule
Säin keeps its n before a vowel and before d, t, z, n and h (wiem säin Auto, wiem säin Hond) and drops it before other consonants (wiem säi Vëlo, wiem säi Buch).

3. Answering
In the answer, the possessive follows the real owner: Wiem seng Täsch ass dat? – Dat ass der Mamm hir Täsch. For a man: Dat ass dem Paul seng Täsch. See Whose Is It? Dem Papp säin Auto.

4. Inside a sentence
In an indirect question, the verb goes to the end: Weess du, wiem säin Auto dat ass?

5. Other ways to ask
You can also ask with a dative verb or with vun: Wiem gehéiert dat? (Who does that belong to?) Vu wiem ass dat? (Who is that from?)

Examples (6)

  1. Wiem säin Hond ass dat?

    Whose dog is that?

    Hond is masculine, so säin. The n stays before h.

  2. Wiem seng Täsch ass dat?

    Whose bag is that?

    Täsch is feminine, so seng.

  3. Wiem säi Vëlo steet do virun der Dier?

    Whose bike is standing there in front of the door?

    Säin loses its n before V by the n-rule.

  4. Wiem seng Schong sinn dat?

    Whose shoes are these?

    Plural nouns take seng, and the verb is plural: sinn.

  5. Weess du, wiem säin Auto dat ass?

    Do you know whose car that is?

    In an indirect question, the verb ass goes to the end.

  6. Wiem seng Iddi war dat?

    Whose idea was that?

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative wien for the owner.

    Wie säin Hond ass dat?
    Wiem säin Hond ass dat?

    Wie is the nominative wien, which may drop its n before säin. The owner in this pattern is in the dative, just like dem Papp in dem Papp säin Auto, so the question word is wiem.

  • Making säin agree with the owner instead of the thing.

    Wiem säin Täsch ass dat?
    Wiem seng Täsch ass dat?

    Täsch is feminine, so the possessive must be seng.

  • Keeping the n of säin before a consonant.

    Wiem säin Vëlo ass dat?
    Wiem säi Vëlo ass dat?

    By the n-rule, säin loses its n before V. It keeps it only before a vowel and before d, t, z, n and h: wiem säin Auto, wiem säin Hond.

How It Connects

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

wiem säinLevel 3Whose: Wiem Säin

Learn This First

Before Whose: Wiem säin, learn Whose Is It? Dem Papp säin Auto and With Whom? Preposition + Wiem.

Words in This Pattern

wiemsäinseng