Possessive Adjectives: mi, tu, su, nuestro (My, Your, His/Her, Our)
Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro) go before the noun and agree with the thing owned, not the owner: mis padres (my parents), nuestra casa (our house).
Taught in: A1.1 Week 3: Family
The rule at a glance
Agrees with the thing owned, not the owner
My, your
mi, tu → mis, tus
my, your (tú)
Mis padres viven en Sevilla.
My parents live in Seville.
His, her, their
su → sus
his, her, their, your (usted)
Carlos vende su coche.
Carlos is selling his car.
Our
nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras
our
Nuestra profesora es de Valencia.
Our teacher is from Valencia.
Your (vosotros)
vuestro, vuestra, vuestros, vuestras
your (you all, in Spain)
¿Cuándo llegan vuestros amigos?
When are your friends arriving?
- Only nuestro and vuestro change for gender. The rest just add -s: sus libros = his books (one owner, several books).
- Su is ambiguous. If it is unclear, say la casa de ella (her house). And tu (your) has no accent; tú means "you".
Forms
Possessive adjectives go before the noun. Mi, tu and su never change for gender: they only add -s when the thing owned is plural. Nuestro and vuestro change for gender and number, like any adjective agreement.
| Owner | One thing | Several things |
|---|---|---|
| my (yo) | mi hermano – my brother | mis hermanos – my brothers |
| your (tú) | tu casa – your house | tus casas – your houses |
| his, her, your (él, ella, usted) | su coche – his/her/your car | sus coches – his/her/your cars |
| our (nosotros/as), masculine noun | nuestro perro – our dog | nuestros perros – our dogs |
| our (nosotros/as), feminine noun | nuestra casa – our house | nuestras casas – our houses |
| your (vosotros/as), masculine noun | vuestro amigo – your friend | vuestros amigos – your friends |
| your (vosotros/as), feminine noun | vuestra amiga – your friend (f) | vuestras amigas – your friends (f) |
| their, your (ellos, ustedes) | su coche – their/your car | sus coches – their/your cars |
Vuestro (your, to several people you call vosotros) is used in Spain. In Latin America, su/sus is used for plural "you". To say "mine", "yours" or "theirs" (el mío, el tuyo, el suyo), see possessive pronouns.
When to use it
1. Family and people
mi madre – my mother
mis abuelos – my grandparents
tu padre – your father
su hermana – his/her sister
2. Everyday things
Singular or plural depends on the thing: tus llaves is one owner, several keys.
mi teléfono – my phone
tus llaves – your keys
su ordenador – his/her computer
sus libros – their books
3. Our: nuestro agrees in gender too
nuestro jefe – our boss
nuestra casa – our house
nuestros hijos – our children
nuestras amigas – our friends (f)
4. Making su clear
Su can mean his, her, your (usted) or their. When the context doesn't make it clear, use the preposition de + the person.
Su casa es grande – His/her/your/their house is big
la casa de él – his house
la casa de ella – her house
Common mistakes
Matching the owner's number
Not this (incorrect): Ellos tienen sus coche.
But this (correct): Ellos tienen su coche. – They have their car. Coche is singular, so su. Match the thing owned, not the owner.
Tu (your) or tú (you)
Not this (incorrect): Tú casa es grande.
But this (correct): Tu casa es grande. – Your house is big. No accent: tu = your. With an accent: tú = you (tú eres = you are).
Forgetting gender with nuestro/vuestro
Not this (incorrect): nuestro casa
But this (correct): nuestra casa – our house. Unlike mi/tu/su, nuestro and vuestro change for gender: nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras.
Quick check
8 questions1. Choose the correct possessive: ___ hermana es médica (My sister is a doctor)
'Mi' is correct. Use 'mi' for singular possessions, regardless of gender. 'Hermana' is singular.
2. Fill in: ___ libros están en la mesa (Your books are on the table - informal singular)
'Tus' is correct. Use the plural form 'tus' because 'libros' is plural. We're using informal singular 'you' (tú).
3. Complete: ___ casa es muy bonita (Our house is very pretty)
'Nuestra' is correct. 'Casa' is feminine singular, so use 'nuestra' (feminine form).
4. Which is correct for 'Their parents'?
'Sus padres' is correct. Use 'sus' (plural) because 'padres' is plural.
5. Choose: ___ amigos son simpáticos (Our friends are nice)
'Nuestros' is correct. 'Amigos' is masculine plural, so use 'nuestros'.
6. What does 'su coche' mean?
'Su' can mean his, her, your (formal), or their. Context usually makes it clear which one.
7. Select the correct form: ___ profesora es española (Your [Spain, plural] teacher is Spanish)
'Vuestra' is correct. 'Profesora' is feminine singular, so use the feminine form 'vuestra'.
8. Which possessive matches the number of things owned, not the owner?
All Spanish possessives match the number (and sometimes gender) of what's owned, not the owner. This is different from English!
Test your understanding of possessive adjectives:
Going further
Possessive adjectives next to the pronouns (mío, tuyo, suyo), and more examples
Possessive adjectives and pronouns side by side
Adjectives (mi libro) go before a noun. Pronouns (el mío) replace the noun and take an article, except after ser: es mío.
| Person | Adjective | Pronoun (singular) | Pronoun (plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| my (yo) | mi / mis – mi libro, mis libros | el mío / la mía – es mío/mía | los míos / las mías – son míos/mías |
| your (tú) | tu / tus – tu casa, tus casas | el tuyo / la tuya – es tuyo/tuya | los tuyos / las tuyas – son tuyos/tuyas |
| his, her, your (él/ella/Ud.) | su / sus – su coche, sus coches | el suyo / la suya – es suyo/suya | los suyos / las suyas – son suyos/suyas |
| our (nosotros) | nuestro/a / nuestros/as – nuestro perro, nuestros perros | el nuestro / la nuestra – es nuestro/a | los nuestros / las nuestras – son nuestros/as |
| your, Spain (vosotros) | vuestro/a / vuestros/as – vuestro amigo, vuestros amigos | el vuestro / la vuestra – es vuestro/a | los vuestros / las vuestras – son vuestros/as |
| their, your (ellos/ellas/Uds.) | su / sus – su idea, sus ideas | el suyo / la suya – es suyo/suya | los suyos / las suyas – son suyos/suyas |
More examples
mi profesor – my teacher
mis notas – my marks
tu clase – your class
tu idea – your idea
tus amigos – your friends
su trabajo – his/her work
sus padres – their parents
nuestro perro – our dog