My: Possessive Determiner Meaning, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：my (my)

my 🔊

/maɪ/

det.

Belonging to me. It shows that something is connected to the person speaking.

Person pointing to personal items showing my ownership

my 🔊

➕

/maɪ/

det.

Indicates that something belongs to or is associated with the speaker.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'min', possessive form of 'me'. Related to German 'mein'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'Mine ends with Y – it's MY property!'

📖 Example

Can you please pass me my red jacket? It's hanging behind the door. 🔊 Can you please pass me my red jacket? It's hanging behind the door.

🔗 Collocations

my book – the book that belongs to me

my house – the house that I live in or own

my family – the family I belong to

🔄 Synonyms

mine (pron.) – Used to refer to a thing or things belonging to or associated with the speaker.

my own (det.) – Emphasizes personal possession or association.

🚫 Antonyms

your (det.) – Belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing.

🌱 Derivatives

mine (pron.) – the thing or things belonging to me

myself (pron.) – used to refer to the speaker himself or herself

📖 Cultural Story

My derives from Proto-Germanic *minaz, the possessive form of the first-person pronoun. In Old English it was 'min', later simplified to 'my' before consonants.