Possessives
A1 Los posesivos 15 / 49
In short
Spanish has two sets of possessives: short ones before the noun (mi, tu, su…) and long, stressed ones after the noun or standing alone (mío, tuyo, suyo…). Both agree with the thing owned, never with the owner.
The rule
A possessive tells you whose something is. Spanish picks the form by position, and every form agrees with the noun, not the person.
Step 1 — Before the noun: the short (unstressed) forms. They go straight in front of the noun and replace the article: mi libro, tu casa, nuestros amigos. Say mi coche, never el mi coche.
Step 2 — Make them agree with the noun. mi, tu, su have only a singular and a plural (mi / mis). nuestro and vuestro also change for gender (nuestro coche, nuestra casa). Number and gender always copy the thing owned: “our books” = nuestros libros even if “we” are all women.
Step 3 — su(s) is ambiguous. su casa can mean his / her / your (usted) / their house. When context doesn’t make it clear, drop su and say la casa de él / de ella / de usted / de ellos. Once the noun is clear, leave it out and keep only the article, which still copies the noun’s gender and number: No es la carpeta de él, es la de ella.
After the noun or alone: the long (stressed) forms. mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, vuestro all agree in gender and number. Use them:
- after the noun: un amigo mío (a friend of mine);
- after ser: el coche es mío (the car is mine);
- with an article, as a pronoun: el mío, la tuya (mine, yours).
To ask whose something is, put de in front of quién; the verb agrees with the thing owned: ¿De quién es este paraguas? Es mío. ¿De quién son estas llaves?
Forms & patterns
Short (unstressed) — before the noun:
| Owner | + singular noun | + plural noun |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi | mis |
| tú | tu | tus |
| él / ella / usted | su | sus |
| nosotros/-as | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| vosotros/-as | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras |
| ellos/-as / ustedes | su | sus |
Long (stressed) — after the noun, after ser, or as a pronoun (el mío):
| Owner | masc. sg. | fem. sg. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | mío | mía | míos | mías |
| tú | tuyo | tuya | tuyos | tuyas |
| él / ella / usted | suyo | suya | suyos | suyas |
| nosotros/-as | nuestro | nuestra | nuestros | nuestras |
| vosotros/-as | vuestro | vuestra | vuestros | vuestras |
| ellos/-as / ustedes | suyo | suya | suyos | suyas |
Examples
| Español | English |
|---|---|
| Mi hermana vive en Madrid. | My sister lives in Madrid. |
| ¿Dónde están mis llaves? | Where are my keys? |
| Nuestra casa es pequeña. | Our house is small. |
| Vuestros amigos son muy simpáticos. | Your (pl.) friends are very nice. |
| Su informe es corto; el de ella ocupa diez páginas. | His report is short; hers runs to ten pages. |
| Un amigo mío trabaja aquí. | A friend of mine works here. |
| El coche es tuyo. | The car is yours. |
| Esta maleta es mía; la tuya está allí. | This suitcase is mine; yours is over there. |
Common mistakes
- mis padre -> mi padre - the possessive agrees with the noun (padre, singular), not with how many owners there are.
- nuestro casa -> nuestra casa - nuestro / vuestro also agree in gender; casa is feminine.
- el mi coche -> mi coche - the short possessive already replaces the article; never use both.
- es mío coche -> es mi coche / el coche es mío - mi goes before the noun, the stressed mío only after ser or the noun.
- tú libro -> tu libro - the possessive tu has no accent; tú with an accent is the subject pronoun “you”.
Tips
- Two positions, two sets: before the noun -> short (mi, tu, su); after the noun or alone -> long (mío, tuyo, suyo).
- The possessive copies the noun’s gender and number, so think about the object, not the person owning it.
- su is the great ambiguity - when it’s unclear, switch to el / la … de él / de ella / de usted / de ellos.
- To say “mine / yours” as a pronoun, add the article to the long form: el mío, la tuya, los nuestros.
- Don’t confuse tu (your) with tú (you), or mi (my) with mí (me): possessives never take the accent.