Possessive adjectives in Spanish are used to show ownership. There are five different possessive adjectives in Spanish.
Subject Pronoun |
Singular |
Plural |
English |
yo | mi | mis | my |
tú | tu | tus | your |
él, ella, Ud. | su | sus | his, her, your |
nosotros/as | nuestro/a | nuestros/as | our |
vosotros/as | vuestro/a | vuestros/as | your |
ellos, ellas, Uds. | su | sus | their, your |
Possessive adjectives in Spanish are either singular or plural based on the noun which follows. Only the nosotros and vosotros forms have a masculine and feminine distinction.
Mi hermana me llamó. My sister called me. (hermana – singular)
Mis amigas sons tímidas. My friends are shy. (amigas – plural)
Nuestro carro es blanco. Our car is white. (carro – singular, masculine)
Nuestras hijas son jóvenes. Our daughters are young. (hijas – plural, feminine)
The possessive adjectives su/sus can mean either his, her or their.
Su carro es verde. His/her/their car is green. (carro – singular)
Sus carros son nuevos. His/her/their cars are new. (carros – plural)
The construction de + person can also be used.
La clase de la Sra. Martinez el aburrida. Mrs. Martinez’s class is boring.
El suéter de Isabel es bonito. Isabel’s sweater is pretty.
When de is followed by the indefinite article el, it contracts to del.
La tarea del chico es buena. The boy’s homework is good.