As in English, Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns show a relationship of belonging between things or people. In Spanish, they can be singular or plural, masculine or feminine, depending on the noun(s) we are describing or replacing.

Determinantes posesivos (Possessive Adjectives / Determiners) go together with the noun:

Notice that possessive adjectives, like all adjectives, modify the noun.  In Spanish, this means the adjective changes based on the noun it’s describing, whether it’s singular or plural, or in the case of Nosotros/Nosotras, masculine or feminine also. 

But…

If the noun is omitted or if we want to avoid repeating words, we use Pronombres posesivos (Possessive Pronouns):

*We use el, la, los, las + possessive pronouns when we talk about someone or something already mentioned:

In the above examples, see how “la tuya” (yours) replaces “tu habitación” (your bedroom), and “la mía” replaces “Mi habitación” (my bedroom).

*We use ser + possessive pronouns to express possession (like in English):

In the above examples, see how “tuyos” (yours) replaces “tus zapatos”(your shoes), and “míos” (mine) replaces “mis zapatos” (my shoes). 

*We use un, una, unos, unas + noun + possessive pronouns when we talk about someone or something as part of a group:

Note: The possessive ’s doesn’t exist in Spanish. Most of the time, we use the preposition “de” to express possession. So, we simply say:

Ready to test your knowledge on possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish? Check out the quizzes below. 

You’ve now learned all about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns, what they are and how to use them. Remember possessive adjectives go together with the noun, as they modify it, whereas possessive pronouns replace the noun to reduce wordiness.  What’s next? We suggest looking at “Comparative Adjectives and Superlatives” , and if you haven’t seen our post on “Spanish Articles” yet, definitely review it too.