The possessive adjectives in English are: my, your, his, her, our, their. They show possession. [ view full lesson ]
The Spanish possessive adjectives are:
| |
|
|
| mi |
my |
(singular) |
| mis |
my |
(plural) |
| tu |
your |
(singular) |
| tus |
your |
(plural, familiar) |
| su |
his, her |
(singular) |
| sus |
his, her |
(plural) |
| su |
their, your |
(singular) |
| sus |
their, your |
(plural) |
| nuestro(a) |
our |
(singular) |
| nuestros(as) |
our |
(plural) |
| vuestro(a) |
your |
(singular) |
| vuestros(as) |
your |
(plural, familiar) |
A possessive adjective always accompanies a noun.
mi blusita; mi faldita. - my little blouse; my little skirt
nuestras flores - our flowers
su pelota - his ball
tu perro - your dog
mis zapatos - my shoes
A possessive pronoun indicates possession or belonging making a reference to the owner and the object possessed. We cannot mistake them with possessive adjectives since these always go next to a noun; the pronouns replace it. The Spanish possessive pronouns are listed in the table below. [ view full lesson ]
| Singular |
|
Plural |
| el mío |
|
los míos |
| la mía |
|
las mías |
| el tuyo |
|
los tuyos |
| la tuya |
|
las tuyas |
| el suyo |
|
los suyos |
| la suya |
|
las suyas |
| el nuestro |
|
los nuestros |
| la nuestra |
|
las nuestras |
| el vuestro |
|
los vuestros |
| la vuestra |
|
las vuestras |
A possessive pronoun replaces a noun.
Tus discos son más recientes que los míos.
- Your records are newer than mine.
Los nuestros son muy buenos.
- Ours are very good.
Podemos hacerlo con el tuyo.
- We can do it with yours.
Las sábanas pequeñas son suyas.
- The small sheets are his/hers.
A possessive adjective accompanies a noun.
mi embarque - my shipment
tu beneficio - your benefit
nuestro arreglo - our arrangement
su sinceridad - his, her, their or your sincerity
su padre - his, her, their or your father
sus padres - his, her, their or your parents
sus fondos - his, her, their or your money
The Spanish possessive adjective must agree with the number of items a person has.
mi libro - my book
mis libros - my two books
The nosotros and vosotros forms change in gender as well;.
nuestro libro - our book
nuestra mesa - our desk
nuestras familias - our families
nuestros refrescos - our soft drinks
Possessive Pronouns - Singular
| |
|
masculine |
feminine |
| Yo |
(mine) |
el mío |
la mía |
| Tú |
(yours) |
el tuyo |
la tuya |
| Él, Ella |
(his, hers) |
el suyo |
la suya |
| Nosotros, Nosotras |
(ours) |
el nuestro |
la nuestra |
| Ellos, Ellas |
(theirs) |
el suyo |
la suya |
Possessive Pronouns - Plural
| |
|
masculine |
feminine |
| Yo |
(mine) |
los míos |
las mías |
| Tú |
(yours) |
los tuyos |
las tuyas |
| Él, Ella |
(his, hers) |
los suyos |
las suyas |
| Nosotros, Nosotras |
(ours) |
los nuestros |
las nuestras |
| Ellos, Ellas |
(theirs) |
los suyos |
las suyas |
We use the Possessive Pronouns when we want to substitute a group of words that are indicating a possession relation.
Éste es mi libro. - This is my book.
In this example, we can substitute "mi libro" (my book) for the possessive pronoun "mío" (mine) and we would have:
Éste es mío. - This is mine.
or
Este libro es mío. - This book is mine.
In Spanish the possessive pronouns are normally formed with the definite article and "mío", "tuyo", or "suyo".
Mi coche es rápido. - My car is fast.
El mío es más rápido. - Mine is faster.
In this example, "el mío" (mine) substitutes "mi coche" (my car) and it is formed by the definite article masculine, singular "el" (the) and the pronoun "mío" (mine)*
Note: Nouns in Spanish have gender so, when you want to substitute them for a pronoun you have to bear that in mind and choose accordingly.
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