mijn
/mɛi̯n/
The English word 'my' is translated into Dutch as mijn.
mijn is a possessive determiner used to indicate that something belongs to the speaker.
Meaning: belonging to me (det)
Which one should you use?
In natural, unstressed speech, mijn is often shortened to me (for example, me vader for 'my father'). However, you should use mijn instead of me when you want to emphasize the possession, such as when saying 'That is *my* book, not yours'.
How does it change in a sentence?
mijn is invariant and does not change based on the gender or number of the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛi̯n/
Did you know?
- The verb mijnen means to bid at a Dutch auction by shouting mijn to indicate that the item is now yours.
- While English has a distinct difference between 'my' and 'mine' (the possessive pronoun), Dutch uses mijn for both roles in most contexts.
Examples in context
- Ze is mijn zus.She's my sister.This sentence demonstrates the use of mijn to indicate a familial relationship.Tatoeba #2352964 by megamanenm, translation #469126 by CK
- Het is mijn cd.It's my CD.This sentence shows how to use mijn with a noun.Tatoeba #7452127 by MarijnKp, translation #25536 by CK
- Dit is mijn cd.This is my CD.Tatoeba #7452128 by MarijnKp, translation #397347 by sysko
- Mijn huisMy house
- Mijn familieMy family
- Dit is mijn autoThis is my car
- Dit is mijn boekThis is my book
- Deze pen is van mijThis pen is mine
- Dat boek is van mijThat book is mine
- M'n fietsMy bike
- M'n vriendenMy friends
- 7251 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sophie and Lucas are sitting in a cafe.
- SophieIs dit mijn koffie?Is this my coffee?
- LucasNee, dat is mijn koffie.No, that is my coffee.
- SophieOh sorry, Lucas.Oh sorry, Lucas.
- LucasHet geeft niets, Sophie.It doesn't matter, Sophie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my” translations and entries mijn, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mijn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
