be instatements; possessive adjectives

21.03.2013 22:10

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vueyyL3lYr8

Using Spanish possessive adjectives is just one of the ways you can stake your claim on everything from loved ones to last night’s tuna casserole. Placing a Spanish possessive adjective before the noun that’s possessed allows you to express my, your, his, her, its, our, or their. Possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number (singular or plural) with the objects that are possessed, not with the possessors. The following table delves into the details.

Spanish Possessive Adjectives

English Word

Masculine Singular

Masculine Plural

Feminine Singular

Feminine Plural

my

mi

mis

mi

mis

your

tu

tus

tu

tus

his/her/your

su

sus

su

sus

our

nuestro

nuestros

nuestra

nuestras

your

vuestro

vuestros

vuestra

vuestras

their/your

su

sus

su

sus

 

 

Possessive Adjectives

Notes:

1.     The written lesson is below.

2.     Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.


 

Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership.

mi libro
my book

tu pluma
your pen



 

There are five possessive adjectives.

mi
tu
su

nuestro
vuestro



 

Three possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su) have only two forms, singular and plural.

mi
mis

tu
tus

su
sus



 

Possessive adjectives agree with the nouns they modify. That is, they agree with the thing possessed, not the possessor.

mi libro

my book

mis libros

my books

tu pluma

your pen

tus plumas

your pens



 

Mi, tu and su do not have masculine and feminine forms. They stay the same, regardless of the gender of the nouns they modify.

mi amigo
mi amiga

tus hermanos
tus hermanas

su libro
sus plumas



 

Mi means "my" ; tu means "your."

Mi casa es tu casa.
My house is your house.



 

Su, like tu, can mean "your." The difference between your (tu) and your (su) lies in the degree of formality the speaker wishes to convey.

Mi casa es tu casa.
(speaking to someone you would address as "tú")

Mi casa es su casa.
(speaking to someone you would address as "usted")

Note: The two words "tu" and "tú" are pronounced the same. Tú (with the written accent) is the subject pronoun meaning "you" (informal). Tu (without the written accent) is the possessive adjective meaning "your" (informal).



 

Su has four meanings: his, her, their and your (formal).

María busca a su hermana.
María is looking for her sister.

Juan busca a su hermana.
Juan is looking for his sister.

Ellos buscan a su hermana.
They are looking for their sister.

Su madre busca a su hermana.
Your mother is looking for your sister.



 

If the meaning of su is not clear from the context of the sentence, a prepositional phrase is used in place of su.

María busca a la hermana de él.
María looks for his sister.

El hombre busca las llaves de ella.
The man looks for her keys.

María busca el cuaderno de Juan.
María looks for Juan's notebook.

El hombre busca las llaves de Samanta.
The man looks for Samanta's keys.



 

Two possessive adjectives (nuestro and vuestro) have four forms.

nuestro
nuestra
nuestros
nuestras

vuestro
vuestra
vuestros
vuestras



 

Nuestro means "our."

nuestro hermano

our brother

nuestra hermana

our sister

nuestros hermanos

our brothers

nuestras hermanas

our sisters



 

Vuestro means "your" (familiar, plural). Like vosotros, vuestro is primarily used in Spain.

vuestro libro

your book

vuestra pluma

your pen

vuestros libros

your books

vuestras plumas

your pens



 

Here are all of the possessive adjectives:

mi(s)
my

tu(s)
your (fam. sing.)

su(s)
his, her, your (formal), their

nuestro(-a, -os, -as)
our

vuestro(-a, -os, -as)
your (fam. pl.)



 

Note that these possessive adjectives are not used with articles of clothing or body parts. Rather, the definite article is used.

Me gusta el vestido nuevo.
I like my new dress

Me duele el brazo.
My arm hurts.