Possessive Adjectives in Spanish (los adjetivos posesivos)
Learn Spanish: Possessive Adjectives in Spanish
In this learn Spanish grammar lesson, we go over possessive adjectives in Spanish. There are a number of ways to express possession of something.
For example:
The Governer of New York City.
New York City's Governer.
In Spanish, Possessive Adjectives can be expressed in the 1) Short form; or the 2) Long form.
But remember, as discussed in Plural Nouns & Adjectives, the possessive adjective must always agree in gender and number.
Short Form
| Subject Pronoun |
Poss. Adj. (singular) |
Poss. Adj. (plural) |
English Translation |
| yo |
mi |
mis |
my |
| tú |
tu |
tus |
your |
| él/ella/usted |
su |
sus |
his/her/your/its |
| nosotros |
|
nuestro/a |
our |
| vosotros |
|
vuestro/a |
your (plural) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
su |
sus |
their/your |
Note:
The short form of Possessive Adjectives are always placed before the noun.
Also, although su/sus can mean his/her, your, their, its, look to the context of the sentence to understand who has possession.
Examples:
Mi casa es nuestra casa.
My house is our house.
Mis padres son amables. Sus amigos no son amables.
My parents are nice. Their friends are not nice.
Voy a comprar tus libros por $10.
I'm going to buy your books for $10.
Long Form
| Subject Pronoun |
Poss. Adj. (singular) |
Poss. Adj. (plural) |
English Translation |
| yo |
mío/mía |
míos/mías |
mine |
| tú |
tuyo/tuya |
tuyos/tuyas |
yours |
| él/ella/usted |
suyo/suya |
suyos/suyas |
his/hers/yours |
| nosotros |
nuestro/nuestra |
nuestros/nuestras |
ours |
| vosotros |
vuestro/vuestra |
vuestros/vuestras |
yours |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
suyo/suya |
suyos/suyas |
theirs/yours |
Note:
Using this long form is a way to emphasize who the owner is or to contrast one possessor from another.
Examples:
La cama tuya es grande.
Your bed is big.
Un amigo mío va a visitar a México.
A friend of mine is going to visit Mexico.
Prefiero el auto mío y no la motocicleta tuya.
I prefer my car and not your motorcycle.
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