Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, theirs
Mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro and vuestro mean mine, yours, his, ours: they replace a noun and agree with the thing owned, not the owner.
The rule at a glance
Agrees with the thing owned, not the owner
mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, vuestro, each with -o, -a, -os, -as
After ser: usually no article
es mío
it's mine
Este móvil es mío.
This phone is mine.
Replacing a noun: article
el mío · la tuya
mine · yours
Mi coche es rojo; el tuyo es azul.
My car is red; yours is blue.
Matches the thing
las mías
mine (the keys)
Juan ha perdido sus llaves, pero tiene las mías.
Juan has lost his keys, but he's got mine.
- Adjective or pronoun? mi casa (my house) goes before a noun; la mía (mine) replaces it.
- Suyo is ambiguous (his, hers, yours, theirs). To be clear, say el de él, la de ella.
Forms
This page is about possessive pronouns (mío, tuyo, suyo): words that replace nouns and mean "mine", "yours", "theirs". Need to review possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su) first? See the possessive adjectives lesson.
| Person | Adjective (before a noun) | Pronoun, singular | Pronoun, plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| My, mine (yo) | mi, mis mi libro | el mío / la mía es mío/mía | los míos / las mías son míos/mías |
| Your, yours (tú) | tu, tus tu casa | el tuyo / la tuya es tuyo/tuya | los tuyos / las tuyas son tuyos/tuyas |
| His, her, your (él/ella/Ud.) | su, sus su coche | el suyo / la suya es suyo/suya | los suyos / las suyas son suyos/suyas |
| Our, ours (nosotros) | nuestro/a, nuestros/as nuestro perro | el nuestro / la nuestra es nuestro/a | los nuestros / las nuestras son nuestros/as |
| Your, yours (vosotros) | vuestro/a, vuestros/as vuestro amigo | el vuestro / la vuestra es vuestro/a | los vuestros / las vuestras son vuestros/as |
| Their, theirs (ellos/ellas/Uds.) | su, sus su coche | el suyo / la suya es suyo/suya | los suyos / las suyas son suyos/suyas |
Unlike the short adjectives mi, tu, su, every possessive pronoun changes for both gender and number: -o/-a/-os/-as, to match what is owned. Pronouns take el, la, los, las, except (usually) straight after ser.
Golden rule: the pronoun agrees with the thing owned, not the owner. If the car (el coche) belongs to María, we say el suyo (not la suya) because coche is masculine.
When to use it
1. After ser: usually no article
When simply stating ownership, the article is usually omitted.
Este coche es mío. This car is mine.
Estas llaves son tuyas. These keys are yours.
La decisión es nuestra. The decision is ours.
Los problemas son suyos. The problems are theirs.
2. As subject or object: with the article
When the pronoun replaces the noun as the subject or object, use the article.
El mío está aquí. Mine is here.
Prefiero la tuya. I prefer yours.
Los nuestros son mejores. Ours are better.
No veo las suyas. I don't see theirs.
3. Showing choice or contrast: with the article
When comparing or contrasting, use the article.
¿Tu casa o la mía? Your house or mine?
Mi coche y el suyo – My car and his/hers
Tus ideas y las nuestras – Your ideas and ours
Sus opiniones, no las vuestras – Their opinions, not yours (pl.)
4. Making suyo clear
Suyo can mean his, hers, yours (formal) or theirs. To be clear, use de + the person.
Es el de él. It's his.
Es la de ella. It's hers.
Son los de usted. They are yours (formal).
Son las de ellos. They are theirs.
Want a quick test?
Common mistakes
Agreement with the thing owned
Not this (incorrect): Las casas son mío
But this (correct): Las casas son mías. Casas is feminine plural, so the pronoun is mías.
Mi is not "mine"
Not this (incorrect): Este libro es mi
But this (correct): Este libro es mío. Mi only goes before a noun; on its own, "mine" is mío.
A friend of mine
Not this (incorrect): un amigo de mí
But this (correct): un amigo mío. Spanish has no "of mine": the long form goes straight after the noun.
Quick check
8 questions1. Complete: Esta casa es _____ (This house is ours)
'Nuestra' is correct. After 'ser', the article is usually omitted when simply stating ownership. 'Casa' is feminine, so use 'nuestra'.
2. Choose the correct form: _____ es más grande (Mine is bigger - talking about a car)
'El mío' is correct when referring to a masculine object as the subject. The article is required.
3. Fill in: Estos zapatos son _____ (These shoes are yours)
'Tuyos' is correct. After 'ser', no article. 'Zapatos' is masculine plural, so 'tuyos'.
4. ¿Prefieres mi coche o _____? (Do you prefer my car or yours?)
'El tuyo' is correct. When contrasting, use the article. 'Coche' is masculine singular.
5. Complete: Nuestras maletas están aquí. ¿Dónde están _____? (Where are theirs?)
'Las suyas' is correct: as the subject it replaces the noun, so it takes the article. 'Maletas' is feminine plural.
6. Which means 'A friend of mine came'?
'Un amigo mío' is the correct Spanish expression for 'a friend of mine'.
7. Fill in: La responsabilidad es _____ (The responsibility is theirs)
'Suya' is correct. After 'ser', no article. 'Responsabilidad' is feminine, so 'suya'.
8. Choose: No veo _____ (I don't see ours - referring to 'las llaves')
'Las nuestras' is correct. As a direct object, use the article. 'Llaves' is feminine plural.
Test your mastery of Spanish possessive pronouns.
Going further
Every form in a sentence, more examples and set expressions
Every form in a sentence
Mío / mía / míos / mías (mine)
El coche es mío. The car is mine (masc.)
La casa es mía. The house is mine (fem.)
Los libros son míos. The books are mine (masc. pl.)
Las llaves son mías. The keys are mine (fem. pl.)
Tuyo / tuya / tuyos / tuyas (yours, informal)
El teléfono es tuyo. The phone is yours (masc.)
La idea es tuya. The idea is yours (fem.)
Los zapatos son tuyos. The shoes are yours (masc. pl.)
Las maletas son tuyas. The suitcases are yours (fem. pl.)
Suyo / suya / suyos / suyas (his, hers, yours formal, theirs)
El problema es suyo. The problem is his/hers/theirs
La decisión es suya. The decision is his/hers/theirs
Los documentos son suyos. The documents are his/hers/theirs
Las opiniones son suyas. The opinions are his/hers/theirs
Nuestro / nuestra / nuestros / nuestras (ours)
El piso es nuestro. The flat is ours (masc.)
La victoria es nuestra. The victory is ours (fem.)
Los planes son nuestros. The plans are ours (masc. pl.)
Las responsabilidades son nuestras. The responsibilities are ours (fem. pl.)
Vuestro / vuestra / vuestros / vuestras (yours, plural, Spain)
El éxito es vuestro. The success is yours (masc.)
La casa es vuestra. The house is yours (fem.)
Los coches son vuestros. The cars are yours (masc. pl.)
Las mochilas son vuestras. The rucksacks are yours (fem. pl.)
More examples
At a restaurant
¿Esta mesa es la nuestra? Is this table ours?
No, la nuestra está allá. No, ours is over there.
Los míos son esos. Mine are those ones.
El tuyo tiene más comida. Yours has more food.
Comparing things
El mío también. Mine too.
Pero el tuyo es más rápido. But yours is faster.
El suyo es el mejor. His/Hers is the best.
Los nuestros necesitan batería. Ours need charging.
Family and friends
La mía es pequeña. Mine is small.
¿Conoces a los suyos? Do you know his/her family?
Los nuestros viven cerca. Ours live nearby.
¿Y los vuestros? And yours (plural)?
Common expressions
¡Eso es asunto mío! That's my business!
Un amigo mío me dijo... A friend of mine told me...
La culpa es tuya. It's your fault.
Esta victoria es nuestra. This victory is ours.
Cada uno a lo suyo. Everyone gets on with their own thing.
Lo mío es el arte. My thing is art.
por mi cuenta – on my own (also: yo solo/sola)