The forms
Possessive adjectives go before the noun, like "my" and "your" in English.
| Owner | Singular noun | Plural noun |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi | mis |
| tú | tu | tus |
| él / ella / usted | su | sus |
| nosotros/-as | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| vosotros/-as (Spain) | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | su | sus |
- Mi, tu, su have no masculine/feminine difference: mi padre, mi madre.
- Only nuestro and vuestro have four forms.
- Tu (your) has no accent. Tú with an accent is the pronoun "you".
Agreement with the thing owned
The possessive agrees with the thing that is owned, not with the owner.
- Mis hijos — my children (one owner, several children)
- Nuestra casa — our house (several owners, one house, feminine)
- Nuestros amigos — our friends
- Pablo y su hermana — Pablo and his sister (feminine noun, but su doesn't change)
- Ana y sus hermanos — Ana and her brothers
Su has many meanings
Su / sus can mean his, her, its, your (usted), their and your (ustedes):
| Sentence | Possible meanings |
|---|---|
| Es su coche. | his car / her car / your car / their car |
Usually the context makes it clear. When it doesn't, replace su with the article + de + pronoun:
| Instead of su coche | Meaning |
|---|---|
| el coche de él | his car |
| el coche de ella | her car |
| el coche de usted | your car (formal) |
| el coche de ellos / de ellas | their car |
- ¿Es su maleta? Sí, es la maleta de ella, no de él. — Is it his/her suitcase? Yes, it's her suitcase, not his.
Body parts and clothes
With body parts and clothes, Spanish normally uses the article, not a possessive, when the owner is clear from the verb:
- Me duele la cabeza. — My head hurts.
- Me lavo las manos. — I wash my hands.
- Juan se pone el abrigo. — Juan puts on his coat.
Watch out as an English speaker
- Agreeing with the owner. English "his/her" reflects the owner; Spanish su doesn't. And nuestro follows the noun, not "we". ✗ Ana y su hermanas / ✓ Ana y sus hermanas. ✗ nuestro casa / ✓ nuestra casa.
- Formal "your" is su. English has one "your"; Spanish matches it to tú or usted. Speaking to an official you address as usted: ✗ ¿Es tu pasaporte, señora? / ✓ ¿Es su pasaporte, señora?
- No possessive with body parts. ✗ Me duele mi cabeza. / ✓ Me duele la cabeza. ✗ Me lavo mis dientes. / ✓ Me lavo los dientes.
- "A friend of mine." ✗ un amigo de mí / ✓ un amigo mío (the long form after the noun).
Example dialogue
¿Esta es tu familia? — Is this your family?
Sí. Estos son mis padres y esta es mi hermana con su marido. — Yes. These are my parents and this is my sister with her husband.
¿Y ese perro es vuestro? — And is that dog yours?
Sí, es nuestro perro, Toby. — Yes, it's our dog, Toby.