【英文版西语语法】Possessive Adjectives in Spanish

 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.