Just like in English, the Dutch use independent possessives. An independent possessive does not precede a noun, as in "It is _my_ pencil", but stands alone: "It is _mine_".
The independent possessive is only used when the possessor is a person.
English | Dutch
mine | de/het mijne
yours | de/het jouwe
yours [formal] | de/het uwe
its | -
his | de/het zijne
hers | de/het hare
ours | de/het onze
yours | -
theirs | de/het hunne
For 'its' and plural 'yours', the Dutch do not have independent possessive pronouns.
In Dutch, the independent possessive pronoun requires an article. This can be _de_ or _het_, depending on the noun it refers to.
de jas | mijn jas | de mijne
het boek | mijn boek | het mijne
Ours: onze
We say 'het onz e' and 'de onz e'. In this respect, it behaves the same as an independent adjective.
No plural 'yours'
The Dutch do not have an independent form for plural 'yours'. Instead, you can use the [alternative independent possessive](#/lesson/Pronouns.Po05).