Difference between OWN and BELONG

Discover the difference between own and belong to. Learn how to transform sentences, avoid common mistakes, and talk about possession in English.

Updated on 27/02/26

If you have ever wondered what the difference between own and belong is, let me tell you that they are not two words with opposite meanings, but two verbs that express the same thing from different perspectives. It is a concept that often confuses students, but it is actually quite simple once you understand the logic behind it.

In this article, we are going to explore in detail how these two verbs work, how to transform sentences from one to the other, and how they appear in Cambridge exams. Furthermore, we will look at the most common mistakes and some idiomatic expressions that will help you sound more natural in English.

What Do own and belong Mean?

Let’s start with the basics. Let’s look at the definitions of each verb:

• Own (verb): to possess, to have something as one’s own.
• Belong (verb): to be the property of, to belong to.

As you can see, both verbs are related to possession, but the fundamental difference lies in who or what acts as the subject of the sentence. With own, the subject is the person who possesses something. With belong to, the subject is the thing that is owned by someone.

The Key Difference Between own and belong to

The key to understanding the difference between these verbs is knowing that when you change from one verb to the other, you must swap the subject and the object of the sentence.

Imagine you have this sentence:

🇬🇧 John owns this mansion.
Explanation: John possesses this mansion.

Here, John is the subject and this mansion is the object. If you want to express the same thing using belong to, you must invert these elements:

🇬🇧 This mansion belongs to John.
Explanation: This mansion is the property of John.

Now this mansion is the subject and John is part of a prepositional phrase. The meaning is exactly the same, but the grammatical structure has changed completely.

Look at these additional examples:

🇬🇧 Do you own this mobile phone?
Explanation: Do you possess this mobile phone?

🇬🇧 Does this mobile phone belong to you?
Explanation: Is this mobile phone yours?

🇬🇧 I own three cars.
Explanation: I possess three cars.

🇬🇧 Three cars belong to me.
Explanation: Three cars are my property.

🇬🇧 Sarah owns the company.
Explanation: Sarah possesses the company.

🇬🇧 The company belongs to Sarah.
Explanation: The company is owned by Sarah.

Notice how in English it is more natural to ask «Is this mobile phone yours?» than «Do you own this mobile phone?», although both forms are correct.

How to Transform Sentences from OWN to BELONG TO (and Vice Versa)

When we talk about possession in English, we have several structures at our disposal. This not only makes your English richer and more varied but is also essential for transformation exercises in Cambridge exams.

Let’s take «this car» as an example and look at all the ways we can express that it is mine:

🇬🇧 This car is mine.
(mine = possessive pronoun)

🇬🇧 This car belongs to me.
(me = object pronoun)

🇬🇧 I own this car.
(I = subject pronoun)

🇬🇧 I am the owner of this car.
(I = subject pronoun, owner = the person who possesses)

Note how the person who owns the car changes position within the sentence depending on the structure you use. This flexibility is what makes English so expressive.

Other Ways to Express Possession

In addition to own and belong to, there are other ways to express possession in English:

Have/have got: more informal and common in everyday English.

🇬🇧 I have a new laptop. / I’ve got a new laptop.

Possessive ‘s: very common to indicate a relationship of possession.

🇬🇧 That’s Mary’s book.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns: my, your, his, her, mine, yours, etc.

🇬🇧 This is my pen. / This pen is mine.

However, own has a special nuance of emphasis on legal or complete ownership of something, while belong to simply indicates who something belongs to without that additional emphasis.

Own and belong in Cambridge Exams

Sentence transformation exercises are very common in Cambridge exams, especially in B2 First and C1 Advanced. The difference between own and belong to frequently appears in these types of exercises. Let’s practise with some real examples of the kind you might find:

B2 First (FCE) – Key Word Transformation:

C1 Advanced (CAE) – Key Word Transformation:

As you can see, these exercises not only ask you to change between own and belong, but you must also confidently handle verb tenses, negative structures, and interrogative forms.

Common Mistakes When Using own and belong

Throughout my years as a teacher, I have seen that students commit certain errors time and again with these verbs. Here are the most common ones so you can avoid them:

1. Forgetting the «to» after belong

❌ This book belongs me.

✅ This book belongs to me.

Remember that belong is always followed by the preposition to when indicating who something belongs to.

2. Using the incorrect pronoun

❌ This house belongs to I.

✅ This house belongs to me.

After to, we always use object pronouns (me, you, him, her, us, them), not subject pronouns.

3. Confusing «own» with «owner»

❌ I am own this car.

✅ I own this car.

✅ I am the owner of this car.

Own is a verb, while owner is a noun. Do not mix them in the same structure.

4. Using «belong» in continuous tenses incorrectly

❌ This car is belonging to me.

✅ This car belongs to me.

Belong is a stative verb (a verb of state), so it is not normally used in continuous tenses. However, own can be used in the continuous in specific contexts when we want to emphasise a process or attitude:

🇬🇧 He’s really owning that new role at work.
Explanation: He is truly mastering that new position at work.
(more informal and modern usage)

5. Not swapping subject and object when transforming

❌ I own this bike → I belong to this bike.

✅ I own this bike → This bike belongs to me.

This is probably the most serious mistake. Always remember that the subject and the object must be swapped.

Idioms and Collocations with own and belong

To take your English to the next level, it is important to know some common idiomatic expressions and collocations with these verbs. Here are the most useful ones:

Expressions with OWN:

Own up (to something): to admit or confess to something (especially something bad).

🇬🇧 He finally owned up to breaking the window.

🇬🇧 You need to own up to your mistakes.

Hold one’s own: to defend oneself well, not to be surpassed.

🇬🇧 Despite being the youngest, she held her own in the debate.

Come into one’s own: to reach one’s full potential, to shine.

🇬🇧 She really came into her own as a manager.

On one’s own: alone, without help.

🇬🇧 Can you do this on your own?

🇬🇧 I live on my own.

Of one’s own: belonging to oneself.

🇬🇧 I’d love to have a place of my own.

Own goal: a goal scored in one’s own net (also used metaphorically for a mistake that harms oneself).

🇬🇧 That comment was a bit of an own goal.

Expressions with BELONG:

A sense of belonging: the feeling of being part of a group or place.

🇬🇧 The new employees need to develop a sense of belonging.

Belong together: to be made for each other, to fit together.

🇬🇧 Those two really belong together.

Not belong: not to fit in, to be out of place.

🇬🇧 I felt like I didn’t belong at that party.

Belong in/at: to belong in a certain place or situation.

🇬🇧 This painting belongs in a museum.

🇬🇧 You belong at university; you’re so bright!

Common Collocations:

Comparative Table of Structures

So that you can see all the ways to express possession at a glance, here is a summary table with the different structures:

Exercises with own and belong

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the correct form of own or belong to. Some sentences may require negative forms or questions.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the correct form of own or belong to. Some sentences may require negative forms or questions.

Exercise 3: Complete the sentences with the correct form of own or belong to. Some sentences may require negative forms or questions.

Conclusion

As you have seen, the difference between own and belong to is not just a matter of meaning, but of grammatical structure. Both verbs express possession, but they do so from opposite perspectives: with own, the possessor is the subject; with belong to, the item owned is the subject.

Mastering this difference will not only help you express yourself with greater variety and precision in English, but it will also be fundamental for successfully tackling transformation exercises in Cambridge exams, especially B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Remember to avoid the common mistakes we have looked at: do not forget the to after belong, use the correct pronouns, and always swap the subject and the object when transforming from one structure to another. And if you want to take your English even further, practise the idiomatic expressions and collocations we have explored.

And until the next article, don’t forget to keep smiling!