Deins
The German word for 'yours' is Deins.
Meaning: sincerely (pron)
Did you know?
- If you use Deins in a heated argument, it can sound much more confrontational than it does in English. Because it is so informal, using it with a stranger or a superior can be seen as a deliberate insult.
- While Deins refers to possession, Germans often use the reflexive mir or dir in phrases like Das gehört mir instead of using a possessive pronoun. Literally, they say 'That belongs to me' rather than 'That is mine'.
- While English uses 'yours' as a polite way to end a letter, using Deins in a German letter is not just informal, it is almost exclusively reserved for very close family or romantic partners.
Examples in context
- Ist das hier deins?Is this yours?This sentence shows how to ask if an object belongs to someone using Deins.Tatoeba #1507987 by Zaghawa, translation #1436332 by marcelostockle
- Deins ist da drüben.Yours is over there.This sentence demonstrates how to use Deins as the subject of a sentence to indicate location.Tatoeba #2165435 by Vortarulo, translation #70864 by CK
- François, ist das deins?François, is this yours?This sentence shows how to use Deins when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #2990412 by pne, translation #1138321 by menaud
- 60 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Laura are cleaning up after a party.
- LukasIst dieses Glas deins?Is this glass yours?
- LauraNein, das ist nicht deins und nicht meins.No, that is not yours and not mine.
- LukasDann muss es deins sein, Laura.Then it must be yours, Laura.
- LauraStimmt, das ist tatsächlich deins!True, that actually is yours!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
