Expressing ownership can be done in several different ways in German. The main word for “to belong (to someone)” is “(jemandem) gehören”. The German word for “to own” is “besitzen”. The words for “property”, “ownership” and “belongings” are “Eigentum” (n.) or “Besitz” (m.):

– “Der Stift gehört mir!” – “The pen belongs to me.”
– “Ich besitze zwei Autos.” – “I own two cars.”
– “Das Haus ist mein Eigentum.” – “The house is my property.”

To the base word “gehören” can be added the prefix “zu” or “dazu” (“zugehören” – essentially “to be counted among” or “to be a component part of something”), “an” (“angehören” – essentially “to be a member of”), and “hin” (“hingehören” – essentially “to belong in a certain place”):

– “Der Junge gehört zu der Gruppe da hinten.” – “The boy is part of the group back there.”
– “Dieser Deckel gehört zu dieser Flasche.” – “This lid belongs to this bottle.”
– “Ich gehöre der Familie an.” – “I am a member of that family.”
– “Das gehört nicht da hin.” – “That does not belong there.”

Note: The word “gehören” is related to the German word for “to hear” – “hören” – likely in the sense of listening to and following orders.