Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are the words we use to show ownership or relationship: my, your, his, her, our, their. In Spanish, possessive adjectives have two forms — short forms (which go before the noun) and long forms (which go after the noun). This lesson covers both.

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Short-Form Possessive Adjectives (Adjetivos Posesivos Átonos)

These are the forms you will use most often. They go before the noun, just like in English.

Person	Singular Noun	Plural Noun	English
yo	mi	mis	my
tú	tu	tus	your (informal)
él / ella / usted	su	sus	his / her / your (formal)
nosotros/as	nuestro / nuestra	nuestros / nuestras	our
vosotros/as	vuestro / vuestra	vuestros / vuestras	your (plural, Spain)
ellos / ellas / ustedes	su	sus	their / your (plural formal)

Key Points

1. Mi, tu, su do not change for gender — they only change for the number of the thing possessed:

   • mi libro (my book) → mis libros (my books)
   • tu casa (your house) → tus casas (your houses)
   • su coche (his/her/your car) → sus coches (his/her/your cars)

2. Nuestro and vuestro agree in both gender and number with the thing possessed:

   • nuestro perro (our dog — masc. sg.)
   • nuestra gata (our cat — fem. sg.)
   • nuestros hijos (our children — masc. pl.)
   • nuestras hijas (our daughters — fem. pl.)

3. The possessive agrees with the thing possessed, NOT with the possessor:

   • María y su hermano (María and her brother) — "su" is singular because "hermano" is singular
   • Carlos y sus hermanas (Carlos and his sisters) — "sus" is plural because "hermanas" is plural

Critical rule: The possessive adjective matches the noun it modifies, not the person who owns it. This is different from English, where "his" vs "her" changes based on the possessor.

Example Sentences

• Mi madre es profesora. (My mother is a teacher.)
• ¿Dónde están tus llaves? (Where are your keys?)
• Su casa es muy grande. (His/Her/Your house is very big.)
• Nuestro profesor es muy bueno. (Our teacher is very good.)
• Nuestra vecina es simpática. (Our neighbour is nice.)
• ¿Cuántos años tienen vuestros hijos? (How old are your children? — Spain)
• Sus padres viven en Madrid. (Their/Your parents live in Madrid.)

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The Ambiguity of "Su" and "Sus"

Because su/sus can mean his, her, its, your (formal), or their, it can be ambiguous. Context usually makes the meaning clear, but when it does not, Spanish uses de + pronoun for clarification:

Ambiguous	Clarified	English
su libro	el libro de él	his book
su libro	el libro de ella	her book
su libro	el libro de usted	your book (formal)
su libro	el libro de ellos	their book (masc.)
su libro	el libro de ellas	their book (fem.)

Examples

• Su coche es rojo. (His/Her/Your/Their car is red.) — Could be unclear.
• El coche de ella es rojo. (Her car is red.) — Now it is clear.
• La casa de ellos es grande. (Their house is big.) — Clarified.

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Long-Form Possessive Adjectives (Adjetivos Posesivos Tónicos)