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GRAMMAR LESSONS

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns in Spanish

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Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns in Spanish

Mi casa es tu casa

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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:

Pronombres Personales
Determinantes Posesivos
Singular
Plural
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blank
blank
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Yo
mi
mi
mis
mis
tu
tu
tus
tus
Él/Ella/Usted
su
su
sus
sus
Nosotros/
Nosotras
nuestro
nuestra
nuestros
nuestras
Ustedes
su
su
sus
sus
Ellos/Ellas
su
su
sus
sus
En contexto
In context
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Ésta es mi casa.
This is my house.
.
¿Dónde compraste tu abrigo?
Where did you buy your coat?
.
Nuestra prima es de Buenos Aires.
Our cousin is from Buenos Aires.
.
¿Dónde están tus libros, Mariana?
Where are your books, Mariana?
Están en mi mochila, mamá.
They’re in my backpack, mom.

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):

Pronombres Personales
Pronombres Posesivos
Singular
Plural
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blank
blank
Yo
mío
mía
míos
mías
tuyo
tuya
tuyos
tuyas
Él/Ella/Usted
suyo
suya
suyos
suyas
Nosotros/
Nosotras
nuestro
nuestra
nuestros
nuestras
Ustedes
suyo
suya
suyos
suyas
Ellos/Ellas
suyo
suya
suyos
suyas

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

En contexto
In context
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Mi habitación es muy grande. ¿Y la tuya?
My room is very big. And yours?
La mía es pequeña.
Mine is small.

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):

En contexto
In context
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¿Son tuyos estos zapatos?
Are these shoes yours?
Sí, son míos.
Yes, they’re mine.

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:

En contexto
In context
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Una amiga mía viene a visitarme hoy.
A friend of mine is coming to visit today.
Un tío nuestro fue a India.
An uncle of ours went to India.

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:

En contexto
In context
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La casa de mi padre
My father’s house
El hermano de Jorge
Jorge’s brother
Los nombres de mis amigos
My friends’ names
.
¿De quien es esta bolsa?
Whose bag is this?
Es de María.
It’s Maria’s.
.
¿Estos libros son de James?
Are these Jame’s books?
No. Son de Jessica.
No, they’re Jessica’s.

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

QUIZ: Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns in Spanish

Choose the correct word.
1. _____________ amigas viven cerca de casa.
(Her/His friends live close to home)
2. Estas plumas son _____________ .
(These pens are hers/his)
3. _____________ clase de inglés es muy divertida.
(My English class is a lot of fun)
4. _____________ gata es bonita.
(Our cat is beautiful)
5. ¿Dónde está _____________ chamarra?
(Where’s your jacket?)
6. Unas primas _____________ viajaron a Grecia.
(Some cousins of mine traveled to Greece)
7. _____________ ropa es muy elegante.
(Her/His clothes are very elegant)
8. Mi mamá cocina muy bien, _____________ comida siempre es rica.
(My mom cooks very well. Her food is always delicious)
9. ¿Son _____________ esos chocolates?
(Are those chocolates yours?)
10. ¿Lleva usted puesto _____________ reloj?
(Are you wearing your watch?)
Choose the correct option.
1. ¿Es de Nadia esta mochila?
Sí, creo que es _____________
(—Is this Nadia’s backpack? —Yes, I think its hers)
2. Estos pantalones son _____________
(These pants are his/hers)
3. Mi casa es muy pequeña; ¿y la _____________ ?
(My house is very small, and yours?)
4. Estas sandalias son _____________
(These sandals are mine)
5. ¿Esta libreta es _____________ ?
(Is this notebook yours?)
6. _____________ padres son de Oaxaca.
(His/Her parents are from Oaxaca)
7. ¿Son estos _____________ libros?
(Are these your books?)
8. Ese coche no es _____________
(That car isn’t mine)
9. Una amiga _____________ cumple años hoy.
(A friend of ours has a birthday today)
10. _____________ familia es muy grande.
(Our family is very big)
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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.

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