My, your, his…
Possessives go before the noun and replace the article: mi casa (my house), never la mi casa.
They agree with the thing that is owned, not with the owner:
- mis libros: one owner, many books
- nuestra casa: many owners, one house
mi, tu and su change only for number; nuestro and vuestro also change for gender.
Forms
| Person | Meaning | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | my | mi hermano, mi casa | mis hermanos, mis casas |
| tú | your (informal) | tu hermano, tu casa | tus hermanos, tus casas |
| él, ella, usted | his, her, its; your (formal) | su hermano, su casa | sus hermanos, sus casas |
| nosotros, nosotras | our | nuestro hermano, nuestra casa | nuestros hermanos, nuestras casas |
| vosotros, vosotrasSpain | your (plural, informal) | vuestro hermano, vuestra casa | vuestros hermanos, vuestras casas |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | their; your (plural) | su hermano, su casa | sus hermanos, sus casas |
One *su*, many owners
su and sus can mean “his”, “her”, “its”, “their” or “your” (to usted or ustedes). Usually the context makes it clear; if not, use de + the person after the noun: la casa de ella, la casa de usted.
The possessive always matches the owner's person: Leo mi libro. (I'm reading my book.) Ana lee su libro. (Ana is reading her book.)
Don't confuse tu (your) with tú (you).
Examples
- Mi hermana vive en Valencia.My sister lives in Valencia.
- ¿Dónde están tus llaves?Where are your keys?
- Nuestra profesora es de Bogotá.Our teacher is from Bogotá.nuestra agrees with profesora, not with “we”.
- Ana y su esposo trabajan en un hotel.Ana and her husband work in a hotel.
- Señor López, ¿esta es su maleta?Mr López, is this your suitcase?Here su means “your”, to usted.
- Chicos, ¿vuestra casa está lejos?SpainGuys, is your house far?
- Chicos, ¿su casa está lejos?Latin AmericaGuys, is your house far?
Common mistakes
- Wrong:
nuestro casaRight: ✓ nuestra casanuestro agrees with casa, which is feminine. - Wrong:
mi librosRight: ✓ mis librosOne owner, but the books are plural. - Wrong:
la mi casaRight: ✓ mi casaThe possessive replaces the article. - Wrong:
¿Es tú libro?Right: ✓ ¿Es tu libro?tu (your) has no accent mark; tú means “you”.