mīn
The Old English word for "my" is mīn.
The word is used as a possessive determiner to indicate that something belongs to the speaker.
Meaning: belonging to me (det)
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive pronoun mīn inflects to match the gender, number and case of the noun it modifies. For example, mīne is used for the feminine nominative and accusative singular, as well as the masculine and neuter accusative plural. The form mīnes is used for the masculine or neuter genitive singular.
Did you know?
- In Old English poetry, the word mīn was sometimes placed after the noun for rhythmic or emphatic purposes, a word order that is now impossible in modern English.
- The transition from the complex inflections of mīne or mīnes to the simplified English 'my' represents one of the great structural shifts in the history of the English language.
Examples in context
- Þæt is mīn dōhtor.This is my daughter.This sentence shows how to use mīn to identify a daughter.Tatoeba #1357196 by SuleimanArkhyz, translation #61484 by CK
- Þōmas ǣt mīne sċōs.Tom ate my shoes.This sentence shows how to use mīn in the context of shoes.Tatoeba #13895423 by rul, translation #12900447 by rul
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mildryth and Osric are looking at a book.
- MildrythHwēr is mīn bōc?Where is my book?
- OsricHēr is hit, Mildryth.Here it is, Mildryth.
- MildrythÞancie þē, Osric.Thank you, Osric.
- OsricWilcuma, Mildryð.You are welcome, Mildryth.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
