Spanish possessive adjectives are adjectives that indicate who or what possesses or owns something.
Short-form and Long-form Adjectives
There are two different forms of Spanish possessive adjectives: short-form and long-form adjectives. Let's take a look at each type!
Short-form Possessive Adjectives
Short-form possessive adjectives are the most common way to express possession. They must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. This doesn't end up being too complicated, because only nosotros and vosotros have distinct masculine and feminine forms.
Remember that these adjectives match the possessed entity in gender and number, not the possessor.
List of Short-form Possessive Adjectives
Adjective Type Masculine Singular Form Masculine Plural Form Feminine Singular Form Feminine Plural Form
First person singular (yo)
mi
mis
mi
mis
Second person informal singular (tú)
tu
tus
tu
tus
Second person formal singular (usted)
su
sus
su
sus
Third person singular (él, ella)
su
sus
su
sus
First person plural (nosotros)
nuestro
nuestros
nuestra
nuestras
Second person plural (vosotros)
vuestro
vuestros
vuestra
vuestras
Second person plural (ustedes)
su
sus
su
sus
Third person plural (ellos, ellas)
su
sus
su
sus
Mi is an example of a short-form possessive adjective with only two distinct forms.
mi libro
my book
mis libros
my books
mi bolsa
my bag
mis bolsas
my bags
Nuestro is an example of a short-form possessive adjective with four distinct forms.
nuestro perro
our dog
nuestros perros
our dogs
nuestra casa
our house
nuestras casas
our houses
Short-form possessive adjectives are always placed before the noun they modify and are not used with a definite or indefinite article.
Check out these examples of sentences with short-form possessive adjectives.
Mi amigo peruano es guapo.
My Peruvian friend is handsome.
¿Dónde están tus libros?
wher are your books?
¿Son sus niños?
Are they your children?
Nuestra casa es muy grande.
Our house is very big.
Vuestras flores son muy bonitas.
Your flowers are very beautiful.
Su carro está allá.
Their car is over there.
Tricky Cases
In Spanish, possessive adjectives are normally not used when talking about body parts. They're also often not used when talking about abstract concepts or something that it is obvious that only the speaker could possess. Instead, you'll see a definite article used in Spanish, though in English translations a possessive adjective may be used.
Body parts
Me duele el brazo.
My arm hurts.
Tienes los ojos verdes.
Your eyes are green.
Don Simón tenía algo en la mirada que hacía a la gente hacer las cosas.
Don Simon had something in his eyes that made people do things.
La muchacha había perdido la ilusión por los estudios.
The girl had lost her enthusiasm for her studies.
Me voy a la casa.
I’m leaving for (my) home.
Se me caen los pantalones.
My pants are falling down.
Possessive Prepositional Phrases
Since su be translated so many ways (his, her, formal singular your, their, formal plural your), it is sometimes helpful to use a prepositional phrase with personal pronouns or names instead.
For example, the sentence Atlanta es la capital de Georgia. (Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.) is more explicitly clear than Atlanta es su capital. (Atlanta is its capital.) - Wait, whose capital? His? Hers? Yours? Theirs?
Here's how to form this type of possessive phrase:
Possessive Prepositional Phrase Formula
definite/indefinite article + entity possessed + de + pronoun/name of possessor
Es la silla de él.
It's his seat.
La casa de Elena está allí.
Elena's house is there.
La pizzería de Alán está cerrada.
Alan's pizzeria is closed.
Long-form Possessive Adjectives
Long-form possessive adjectives are used to emphasize the owner of something, to contrast one owner with another, or to emphasize a personal relationship. They must match the noun they modify in both gender and number in all forms. They are used less often than short-form possessive adjectives, but you should still know them.
List of Long-form Possessive Adjectives
Adjective Type Masculine Singular Form Masculine Plural Form Feminine Singular Form Feminine Plural Form
First person singular (yo)
mío
míos
mía
mías
Second person informal singular (tú)
tuyo
tuyos
tuya
tuyas
Second person formal singular (usted)
suyo
suyos
suya
suyas
Third person singular (él, ella)
suyo
suyos
suya
suyas
First person plural (nosotros)
nuestro
nuestros
nuestra
nuestras
Second person plural (vosotros)
vuestro
vuestros
vuestra
vuestras
Second person plural (ustedes)
suyo
suyos
suya
suyas
Third person plural (ellos, ellas)
suyo
suyos
suya
suyas
Long-form possessive adjectives are placed after the noun they modify. In the case of long-form possessive adjectives, you do often use an article (such as el or la) before the adjective if you are talking about a common noun.
Check out these examples!
¡Dios mío!
My God!/My goodness!
¿Dónde están esos zapatos tuyos?
wher are those shoes of yours?
Esta es mi silla y aquella es la silla tuya.
This is my chair and that one is your chair.
