Pronouns and possessives
Words that replace names
- Pronouns replace a name or noun, so we don't repeat it.
- Anna is nice. She is my friend.
- Possessives say who something belongs to: my, your, her…
Subject pronouns
- I, you, he, she, it, we, they — they go before the verb.
- He is tall. We like music. They are here.
- Use it for things and animals; they for any plural.
Practice
Which pronoun replaces “Anna”?
Anna is a woman → she.
Possessive adjectives
- my, your, his, her, its, our, their — they go before a noun.
- This is my bag. Her name is Lucy.
- Careful: its = belonging to it; it's = it is.
Explore
Subject pronoun or possessive?
Subject pronouns do the action; possessives show who owns something.
Practice
Complete with a possessive: This is ___ book. (I)
I → my: “This is my book.”
Practice
Choose the possessive: The dog wags ___ tail.
Possessive = its (no apostrophe). “it's” means “it is”.
Practice
Translate into English: 这是我的包。
I → my: “This is my bag.”
Putting them together
- Pronoun does the action; possessive owns the noun.
- She loves her cat. We do our homework.
Common mistakes
- ❌ My mother is kind. He is a teacher. → ✓ She is a teacher. — he = man, she = woman.
- ❌ Me is tired. → ✓ I am tired. — the subject word is I.
- ❌ This is she book. → ✓ This is her book. — use her before a noun.
- ❌ My friend he is tall. → ✓ My friend is tall. — say the subject only once.
Practice
Match the pronoun to its possessive word.
The possessive goes before a noun: my book, his bag, her name, their house.
Practice
My father is a doctor. ___ is very busy.
father → he. Take a second to check he / she when you speak.
Key idea
- Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they (before the verb).
- Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (before a noun).
- its (belongs to it) ≠ it's (it is).
Practice
Write one sentence about a family member, using a possessive (my, his, her…). For example: “My sister …”.
Example: “My brother is ten years old.”