In the world of pronouns and words that replace articles, possessive adjectives can get a little too clingy. Possessive adjectives are used to replace articles in order to specify to whom or to what something belongs. As you can probably guess, these adjectives must agree with a noun in number and gender.
Interestingly, unlike some other Latin-based languages, possessive adjectives in Spanish do not change according to gender if the noun is singular. In terms of word order, they are usually placed before the noun.
Basic Examples in Spanish
Here are some basic examples to get you started.
- Esta es mi casa. -- This is my house.
- Ella es mi hermana. -- She is my sister.
- ¿Dónde está mi celular? -- Where is my cell phone?
- ¿Puedes pasarme mi bolso? -- Can you pass me my bag?
- No sé dónde está mi hermano. -- I don’t know where my brother is.
- Este es su libro. -- This is her book.
- Aquí está nuestro perro. -- Here’s our dog.
- ¿No es este tu cuaderno? -- Isn’t this your notebook?
In Spanish, there are also two different forms of possessive adjectives: short-form possessive adjectives and long-form possessive adjectives.
Short-Form Possessive Adjectives
This set of adjectives is used to express ownership in general. They, of course, must agree with the noun they are describing in terms of gender and number. As you will see, there are only two forms that have distinct masculine and feminine forms. These adjectives are somewhat similar to their English counterparts with singular and plural forms.
Masculine Singular Form | Masculine Plural Form | Feminine Singular Form | Feminine Plural Form |
Mi / My | Mis / My | Mi / My | Mis / My |
Tu / Your | Tus / Your | Tu / Your | Tus / Your |
Su / Your (Usted) | Sus / Your | Su / Your | Sus / Your |
Su / His | Sus / His | Su / Her | Sus / Her |
Nuestro / Our | Nuestros / Our | Nuestra / Our | Nuestras / Our |
Vuestro / Your | Vuestros / Your | Vuestra / Your | Vuestras / Your |
Su / Your (Plural) | Sus / Your | Su / Your | Sus / Your |
Su / Their | Sus / Their | Su / Their | Sus / Their |
You can see how these possessive adjectives work in these example sentences:
- Esta es su casa. -- This is her house.
- No tengo mi libro. -- I don’t have my book.
- ¿Tienes su número? -- Do you have his number?
- Nuestro viaje estuvo genial. -- Our trip was great.
- Esa es su casa. -- That is their house.
- No entiendo vuestra explicación. -- I don’t understand your explanation.
The forms vuestro(s) and vuestra(s) are only used in Spain and are less common elsewhere.
Long-Form Possessive Adjectives
When it comes to this set of pronouns, things change a little bit. First, they are often used to emphasize someone’s ownership or a personal relationship, or to contrast with another owner. They are usually placed after the noun they are referring to. These adjectives should always match the noun they are modifying.
Masculine Singular Form | Masculine Plural Form | Feminine Singular Form | Feminine Plural Form |
Mío / Mine | Míos / Mine | Mía / Mine | Mías / Mine |
Tuyo / Yours | Tuyos / Yours | Tuya / Yours | Tuyas / Yours |
Suyo / Yours (Usted) | Suyos / Yours | Suya / Yours | Suyas / Yours |
Suyo / His | Suyos / His | Suya / Hers | Suyas / Hers |
Nuestro / Ours | Nuestros / Ours | Nuestra / Ours | Nuestras / Ours |
Vuestro / Yours | Vuestros / Yours | Vuestra / Yours | Vuestras / Yours |
Suyo / Yours (Plural) | Suyos / Yours | Suya / Yours | Suyas / Yours |
Suyo / Theirs | Suyos / Theirs | Suya / Theirs | Suyas / Theirs |
Here are some examples.
- Esta es mi cama y aquella es la cama tuya. -- This is my bed and that one is yours.
- ¿Dónde están esos libros suyos? -- Where are those shoes of hers?
- La casa es mía. -- The house is mine.
- Las camisas son nuestras. -- The shirts are ours.
- El celular es suyo. -- The cell phone is his.
- ¿Este carro es tuyo? -- Is this car yours?
Ownership in Spanish
See how clingy these words are? After reading this article, you now understand how ownership works in Spanish, the types of words you have to use, and their placement in a sentence. Keep practicing and learning Spanish every day!