Possessives
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
Él fue severo con hijos.
He was strict with his children.
The rule
The tricky part is that su can mean his, her, their, or your, and that possessives agree with the thing owned, not the owner. You also learn the long forms (mío, tuyo, suyo) used after nouns and with ser.
The pattern
Short possessives go before the noun.
| Possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi / mis | my |
| tu / tus | your (informal singular) |
| su / sus | his, her, their, your (formal) |
| nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras | our |
| vuestro, vuestra, vuestros, vuestras | your (plural, mainly Spain) |
Mi, tu, and su do not change for gender. They change only for number: mi libro, mi casa, mis libros, mis casas.
Nuestro changes for both gender and number: nuestro hijo, nuestra hija, nuestros hijos, nuestras hijas.
Su does not specify the owner. Su libro can mean his book, her book, their book, or your book. When context is not enough, add de él, de ella, de ellos, or de usted: el libro de ella.
Long possessives go after the noun, often after ser: mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro. They agree with the thing owned in gender and number: la casa es mía, los libros son míos. They can also follow an article: el mío, la tuya, los suyos.
Examples
- Mis padres viven en Madrid.My parents live in Madrid.
- Nuestras hijas van al mismo colegio.Our daughters go to the same school.
- Es su coche.It is his, her, or their car.
- Tus casas son grandes.Your houses are big.
- Este libro es mío.This book is mine.
- La mochila es tuya.The backpack is yours.
- ¿Dónde está el mío?Where is mine?
- Los gatos son suyos.The cats are theirs.
Watch out
- Mi libros. Mis libros.Use mis with a plural noun.
- Nuestra hijo. Nuestro hijo.Nuestro agrees with hijo, which is masculine.
- Su libro de ella. El libro de ella.Use su libro or el libro de ella, but not both together.
- La casa es mío. La casa es mía.Long possessives agree in gender and number with the thing owned.