Lesson 4 · Lesson guide
Possessive Pronouns and Whose
Hello, my dear student!
Hello, my dear student!
Look around you: your phone, your bag, your friend’s pen. Every day we say who things belong to. This is my book. That one is yours. Whose phone is this?
Today you will learn two groups of words: my, your, her… before a noun, and mine, yours, hers… alone. You will also ask questions with whose and use ’s for people: Lola’s bag, my sister’s room.
In Uzbek one small ending does the job: kitobim, meniki. English needs different words, and learners often mix them. After this lesson you will never say “It’s my.” or “the book of Aziz”, and your English will sound natural in the IELTS Speaking test.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
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Who does it belong to?
Step 1
my, your, his, her, its, our, their + a noun
These words come before a noun and tell us the owner. They never stand alone: my phone, not just “my”. Use its for a thing or an animal: The cat is in its bed.
- This is my phone.(Bu mening telefonim.)
- Is that your bag?(Anavi sizning sumkangizmi?)
- Their flat is very big.(Ularning kvartirasi juda katta.)
Step 2
mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs alone
These words stand alone, with no noun after them. Mine = my phone, yours = your bag. They are like meniki and sizniki in Uzbek. His is the same word in both groups.
- This phone is mine.(Bu telefon meniki.)
- The red bag is hers.(Qizil sumka uniki.)
- That flat is theirs.(Anavi kvartira ularniki.)
Step 3
Questions with whose
Whose asks who the owner is. Say Whose + noun + is this? For more than one thing, say Whose + noun + are these? Answer with mine, yours… or with a name + ’s.
- Whose bag is this?(Bu sumka kimniki?)
- Whose keys are these?(Bu kalitlar kimniki?)
- Whose is this phone?(Bu telefon kimniki?)
Step 4
A person + ’s
For people, add ’s to the name or the noun: Lola’s bag = the bag of Lola. The owner comes first, like in Uzbek. When a plural noun already ends in -s, add only ’: the students’ books.
- It’s Lola’s bag.(Bu Lolaning sumkasi.)
- This is my sister’s room.(Bu opamning (singlimning) xonasi.)
- The students’ books are on the desk.(Oʻquvchilarning kitoblari partada.)
Remember!
my, your, her + a noun: my bag. mine, yours, hers alone: It’s mine. Whose…? asks who the owner is.
Two words for each person
Tap each pair to hear it. The first word needs a noun; the second word stands alone.
It’s my pen. It’s mine.
I → my → mine
It’s your pen. It’s yours.
you → your → yours
It’s his pen. It’s his.
(Bu uning ruchkasi. Bu uniki.)
he → his → his (the same word!)
It’s her pen. It’s hers.
she → her → hers
It’s our pen. It’s ours.
we → our → ours
It’s their pen. It’s theirs.
they → their → theirs
Remember!
Never “mine pen” and never “my” alone: It’s my pen. It’s mine.
Lost and found
Use these when you find something in class, in the library or at home.
Whose is this?
(Bu kimniki?)
Who does it belong to?
Is this yours?
(Bu siznikimi?)
a question to one person
No, it isn’t mine.
(Yoʻq, bu meniki emas.)
it belongs to another person
I think it’s Lola’s.
(Menimcha, bu Lolaniki.)
I’m not sure, but…
Yes, it’s mine. Thank you!
you found your thing
Whose turn is it?
(Navbat kimniki?)
in a game: who plays now?
Whose phone is this?
Ms Green has two things from the classroom floor. Listen to the students.
- Ms Green
Whose phone is this? Is it yours, Aziz?
- Aziz
No, it isn’t mine. My phone is in my bag.
- Ms Green
Lola, is it yours?
- Lola
No, mine is black. I think it’s Bekzod’s.
- Bekzod
Yes, it’s mine! Thank you, Ms Green.
- Ms Green
And whose keys are these?
- Malika
They’re ours. Dilnoza and I share a flat.
Listen for the two groups: my phone, my bag (with a noun) and mine, yours, ours (alone).
Mistakes I hear every day
Not: This book is my.Say: This book is mine.
There is no noun after it, so use mine. My always needs a noun: my book.
Not: It’s mine book.Say: It’s my book.
Before a noun, use my, not mine.
Not: Who’s bag is this?Say: Whose bag is this?(Bu sumka kimniki?)
Who’s = who is. To ask about the owner, write whose. They sound the same!
Not: The book of Aziz is on the desk.Say: Aziz’s book is on the desk.
For people, use ’s: Aziz’s book. “The book of Aziz” sounds strange in English.
Not: She is my sister friend.Say: She is my sister’s friend.
In Uzbek we say opamning dugonasi. In English the owner needs ’s: my sister’s friend.
Not: Is this pen your’s?Say: Is this pen yours?
Yours, hers, ours and theirs never have an apostrophe.
Not: This seat is the mine.Say: This seat is mine.
Never put the before mine, yours, hers, ours or theirs.
Check yourself
Complete: This bag isn’t yours. It’s ___. (I)
You find a pen. Ask about the owner.
What is wrong with “Who’s car is that?”
Say it with ’s: the room of my brother.
Now it’s your turn!
6 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher