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Adjetivos posesivos
Spanish possessive adjectives are used in front of nouns to indicate to whom or to what those nouns belong. They are considerably more complicated than English possessive adjectives because Spanish has several different forms depending on the gender and number of the possessed noun.
Por ejemplo…
Estamos escuchando mi música. | We’re listening to my music. | |
He perdido mis llaves. | I lost my keys. |
Characteristics of Spanish possessive adjectives
- Used in place of an article, not with one
- Placed directly in front of a noun or an adjective + noun
- Must agree with the possessed noun in number and sometimes gender
- Possessive adjective + noun can be replaced by a possessive pronoun
- Come in two different sets: short/unstressed forms (explained here) and long / stressed forms.
Short forms of Spanish possessive adjectives
Singular | Plural | ||||
masc | fem | masc | fem | ||
my | mi | mi | mis | mis | |
your (tú) | tu | tu | tus | tus | |
his, her, your (Ud.) | su | su | sus | sus | |
our | nuestro | nuestra | nuestros | nuestras | |
your (vosotros) | vuestro | vuestra | vuestros | vuestras | |
sus | sus | ||||
their, your (Uds.) | su | su |
Spanish has many more possessives than English. For 2nd and 3rd person plural subjects (nosotros, vosotros), there are four forms of the possessive. The gender and number of the possessed noun determine which form to use.
Our | Your | ||
masc sing | nuestro libro | vuestro libro | |
fem sing | nuestra mesa | vuestra mesas | |
masc plural | nuestros libros | vuestros libros | |
fem plural | nuestras mesas | vuestras mesas |
Singular subjects (I, you, he) and third person plural (they) have only two forms: singular and plural.
My | Your | His / Her / Their | ||
sing | mi libro | tu libro | su libro | |
plural | mis mesas | tus mesas | sus mesas |
An important difference between Spanish and English is in the third person. In English you have to choose between his, her, its, and their, whereas in Spanish there is no distinction by gender, only by number. Su and sus can each mean his, her, its, your, or their depending on the context. Su cama can mean his bed, her bed, its bed (e.g., the dog’s), your bed, or their bed. To clarify, you can use the possessive de.
Por ejemplo …
Tengo su libro.
¿De quién?
El libro de Ana.
When describing two or more nouns, a possessive adjective must be used in front of each one.
Por ejemplo …
his brother and sister | su hermano y su hermana |
Possessive Adjectives Quizzes
Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on Spanish possessive adjectives:
* Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless Spanish account to take this test. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
Related lessons
Spanish lesson plans
- Possessive Adjectives (Worksheet, 8th-9th grade)
- Possessive Adjectives (Worksheet, 9th-10th grade)
- Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns (PPT, 6th-12th grade)
- Silly Family Trees (Worksheet, 9th-10th grade)
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