Possessive Adjectives in SpanishA1

The possessive adjectives indicate to whom a noun belongs or with whom it relates. In mi casa, tu hermana and su coche, the possessive links the noun with a person, a group or a closeness relationship. If we remove it, the noun still exists, but the idea of ownership disappears: casa, hermana, coche. In Spanish, these possessives form part of the Adjetivos descriptivos because they accompany the noun and specify it.

The short forms are mi, tu, su, nuestro, nuestra, nuestros and nuestras. They always go before the noun: mi bolso, tu cuaderno, su puerta, nuestra mesa. They are not placed behind the noun. Their function is direct and brief, and that is why they are the most common forms in everyday speech.

Possessives agree with the possessed noun, not with the possessor. That is why we say mi amigo and mi amiga, but also mis amigos and mis amigas. The gender and number change depends on the noun. This agreement follows the same logic as that of other adjectives in Concordancia Adjetival.

When the noun is singular, the singular form of the possessive is used: mi libro, tu casa, su coche. When the noun is plural, the plural form is used: mis libros, tus casas, sus coches. The correct pairing depends on the quantity of the name, not on how many owners there are. A single possessor may have a single thing or several: mi hermano y mis hermanos.

Su and sus can refer to de él, de ella or de usted. Therefore su casa can mean his house, her house or your house. When necessary to avoid confusion, the construction de + pronombre is used: la casa de él, el coche de ella, la opinión de usted. In clear conversation, su usually suffices.

The long forms are mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro and vuestro, with their gender and number variants: mía, míos, mías; tuya, tuyos, tuyas; suya, suyos, suyas; nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras; vuestro, vuestra, vuestros, vuestras. They tend to go after the noun and add emphasis or contrast: Ese asiento es mío, La decisión fue suya, La idea no era nuestra. They can also appear alone, because it is already clear what noun is inferred. Compared to the short possessives in Posición del adjetivo, these forms mark more force or insistence.

Nuestro y vuestro concord with the possessed noun. You say nuestro amigo, nuestra amiga, nuestros amigos y nuestras amigas. The same applies to vuestro: vuestro libro, vuestra casa, vuestros libros, vuestras casas. Vuestro is used much less in several countries in America, where su is preferred to address several people or a close group. In regions where it is retained, it follows the same agreement pattern as nuestro.

In the basic rule, the short possessive goes without an article: mi casa, tu libro, su madre. One does not say la mi casa nor el tu libro. The noun is directly joined to the possessive, without a determiner in front. The long possessives can appear with an article when they function as a noun: el mío, la tuya, los nuestros, las vuestras.