Possessives
A1–B1Nouns and determiners 6 min
Mi, tu, su go before the noun and mío, tuyo, suyo after it; both agree with the thing owned. The possessive agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner: Luis vive con sus padres. Nuestra casa es grande.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–B1
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the noun | mi / tu / su / nuestro / su | Mi casa es pequeña. | My house is small. |
| Before the noun | vosotros: vuestro | ¿Es vuestra casa? | Is it your house? |
| Agreement | the number of the thing owned; nuestro also its gender | Nuestros hijos viven en Quito. | Our children live in Quito. |
| Owner as a noun | de + owner | la casa de Ana | Ana's house |
| A2After ser | mío / tuyo / suyo / nuestro / suyo | Esta mochila es mía. | This backpack is mine. |
| A2Alone | the article and the long form | Mi casa es grande, y la tuya es bonita. | My house is big, and yours is pretty. |
| B1After the noun | one of several | Marta es una amiga mía. | Marta is a friend of mine. |
| B1A clear owner | de él, de ella, de usted instead of su | Llevé la maleta de ella. | I carried her suitcase. |
| Trap | su is his, her, its, their, and your for usted | Ana vive con su hermano. | Ana lives with her brother. |
| Trap | mis before a plural noun | Mis padres son de Cuba. | My parents are from Cuba. |
Form: before the nounA1
| Owner | One thing | Several things |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi | mis |
| tú | tu | tus |
| él / ella / usted | su | sus |
| nosotros / nosotras | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| vosotros / vosotras | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | su | sus |
- The possessive agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner: Luis vive con sus padres. — Luis lives with his parents.
- nuestro also agrees in gender; the other short forms change only for number. Nuestra casa es grande. — Our house is big.
- su means his, her, its, their, and your for usted and ustedes. Ana vive con su hermano. — Ana lives with her brother.
- Latin America: In Latin America, the plural “your” is always su, the possessive of ustedes: Chicos, ¿dónde está su profesor? — Guys, where is your teacher?
- Spain: vuestro is the possessive of vosotros: Chicos, ¿dónde está vuestro profesor? — Guys, where is your teacher?
Form: after the noun and aloneA2–B1
| Owner | One thing | Several things |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mío / mía | míos / mías |
| tú | tuyo / tuya | tuyos / tuyas |
| él / ella / usted | suyo / suya | suyos / suyas |
| nosotros / nosotras | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| vosotros / vosotras | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | suyo / suya | suyos / suyas |
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| After ser: whose it is | Esta mochila es mía. | This backpack is mine. |
| With the article, in place of the noun | Mi casa es grande, y la tuya es bonita. | My house is big, and yours is pretty. |
| B1After a noun: one of several | Marta es una amiga mía. | Marta is a friend of mine. |
- The long form agrees with the thing owned in gender and number.
Use: de and a clear ownerA1–B1
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| de + owner, where English uses ’s | la casa de Ana | Ana's house |
| de + el + owner: del | la oficina del director | the director's office |
| A2el / la + de + owner, for a noun already named | Mi casa y la de Pedro están cerca. | My house and Pedro's are close. |
| B1de + él / ella / usted, for a clear owner | Ana y Luis vinieron, y yo llevé la maleta de él. | Ana and Luis came, and I carried his suitcase. |
B1
- su can point to several owners; de él, de ella, de usted or de ellos names the one meant. ¿Es la maleta de usted o de él? — Is it your suitcase or his?
Typical errorsA1–B1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| mi libros | mis libros | the possessive agrees with the thing owned |
| nuestro casa | nuestra casa | nuestro agrees in gender too |
| A2Este libro es mi. | Este libro es mío. | after ser, the long form |
| A2Mi casa es grande y tuya es pequeña. | Mi casa es grande y la tuya es pequeña. | alone, the long form takes the article |
| B1un amigo de mí | un amigo mío | “of mine” is mío after the noun |
| Ana casa | la casa de Ana | Spanish has no ’s: de + owner |