Spanish Grammar - Possessives
Spanish grammar lesson 9: Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives
Possessive pronouns and adjectives show belonging or ownership of the object in the sentence.
Possessive pronouns take the place of the object or objects and at the same time, demonstrate the ownership. For example, "these lab results are yours," or simply, "these are yours."
| The object is..., or, the objects are... | Pronoun in place of object(s) - when noun is masculine |
Pronoun in place of object(s) - when noun is feminine |
|---|---|---|
mine |
mío (míos) |
mía (mías) |
yours (belonging to one person) - informal |
tuyo (tuyos) |
tuya (tuyas) |
yours (belonging to one person) - formal |
suyo (suyos) |
suya (suyas) |
his |
suyo (suyos) |
suya (suyas) |
hers |
suyo (suyos) |
suya (suyas) |
ours |
nuestro (nuestros) |
nuestra (nuestras) |
yours (belonging to more than one person) - this is an "informal" form, used in Spain |
vuestro (vuestros) |
vuestra (vuestras) |
yours (belonging to more than one person) - Latin America and Spain |
suyo (suyos) |
suya (suyas) |
theirs |
suyo (suyos) |
suya (suyas) |
Exercise: Read, listen to, and repeat aloud the following examples.
Estas medicinas no son mías. Las mías están en la tercera gaveta.
(These medicines are not mine. Mine are in the third drawer) Note: Observe the use of the definite article before the possessive pronoun in the second sentence.
La bata suya está en el armario de la derecha.
(Your gown is in the closet on the right.) Note: The word, "bata," can mean a patient's gown, or could also mean the labcoat, or white coat of the physician.
Ese paraguas es mío. Lo dejé ayer cuando vine al hospital.
(That umbrella is mine. I left it yesterday when I came to the hospital.)
Tres primos suyos están enfermos de malaria.
(Three of his/her/your/their cousins are sick from malaria) Note: A literal translation would be, "Three cousins his/hers/yours/theirs are sick from malaria.)
Possessive adjectives simply describe the nouns that they precede, showing belonging or ownership. For example, "these are his lab results."
| Possessive Adjective | Adjective describing object(s) - when noun is masculine | Adjective describing object(s) - when noun is feminine |
|---|---|---|
my |
mi (mis) |
mi (mis) |
your (one person) - informal |
tu (tus) |
tu (tus) |
your (one person) - formal |
su (sus) |
su (sus) |
his |
su (sus) |
su (sus) |
her |
su (sus) |
su (sus) |
our |
nuestro (nuestros) |
nuestra (nuestras) |
your (more than one person) - informal form used in Spain |
vuestro (vuestros) |
vuestra (vuestras) |
your (more than one person) - Latin America and Spain |
su (sus) |
su (sus) |
their |
su (sus) |
su (sus) |
Exercise: Read, listen to, and repeat aloud the following examples.
Mi hermana ya tiene la vacuna.
(My sister already has the vaccine.)
Nuestra hija no quiere comer suficiente.
(Our daughter does not want to eat enough.)
Tus dedos están infectados.
(Your fingers are infected.)
Sus hijas sobrevivieron el terremoto del año pasado.
(His/her/your/their daughters survived last year's earthquake.)
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