What possessive adjectives do
Possessive adjectives sit directly in front of a noun and say who something belongs to: mi libro, tu casa, nuestro país. So far, so English. The difference is what they agree with – and it is the opposite of what your instinct will tell you.
All forms at a glance
| Owner | Before a singular noun | Before a plural noun | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (my) | mi | mis | mi libro / mis libros |
| tú (your) | tu | tus | tu casa / tus casas |
| él, ella, usted, ellos, ellas, ustedes (his, her, its, their, your) | su | sus | su coche / sus coches |
| nosotros/as (our) | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras | nuestro país / nuestra casa |
| vosotros/as (your, plural) | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras | vuestro libro / vuestra idea |
Number only, or number and gender?
mi, tu, su - number only
mi, tu and su have no masculine or feminine form. They only move between singular and plural, where an -s is added: English my stays the same in my book and my books, but Spanish says mi libro and mis libros. A brother and a sister both get mi.
Mi hermano y mi hermana viven aquí.
My brother and my sister live here.
Tus llaves están en la mesa.
Your keys are on the table.
¿Dónde está tu casa?
Where is your house?
nuestro, vuestro - number and gender
nuestro (our) and vuestro (your, to a group) have four forms each, where English has one flat our. They behave like adjectives ending in -o: nuestro coche, nuestra casa, nuestros hijos, nuestras ideas.
Nuestro coche es nuevo.
Our car is new.
Nuestra casa es muy grande.
Our house is very big.
Vuestros hijos son muy simpáticos.
Your children are very nice.
su does the work of four English words
Juan tiene su coche.
Juan has his car.
María tiene su coche.
María has her car.
¿Tiene usted su pasaporte?
Do you have your passport?
