Possessive adjectives

What are Spanish possessive adjectives?

• Possessive adjectives say who something belongs to.
• They stand before a noun: mi casa, tus amigos, nuestra empresa.
• They answer questions like: ¿De quién? – Whose?

Key idea 1: Agreement with the noun (not with the person)

In Spanish, the possessive adjective agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner.

• Number (singular/plural):
  • mi libro – mis libros
  • tu hermano – tus hermanos
  • su casa – sus casas
• Gender + number (only for nuestro / vuestro):
  • nuestro hijo (our son – masc. sg.)
  • nuestra hija (our daughter – fem. sg.)
  • nuestros hijos (our sons/children – masc. pl.)
  • nuestras hijas (our daughters – fem. pl.)

Self-check:

1. Find the noun (thing).
2. Is it singular or plural?
3. Is it masculine or feminine? (only important for nuestro/vuestro.)
4. Choose the form that matches that noun.

Key idea 2: mi vs mis, tu vs tus, su vs sus

The form changes only when the noun becomes plural.

• mi (my, one thing) → mis (my, several things)
  • mi empresa (my company)
  • mis empresas (my companies)
• tu (your, one thing) → tus (your, several things)
  • tu amigo (your friend)
  • tus amigos (your friends)
• su (his/her/their/your formal, one thing) → sus (several things)
  • su jefe (their boss)
  • sus jefes (their bosses)

Notice: the change is always add -s when the noun is plural.

Key idea 3: nuestro / vuestro – watch gender and number

These forms behave like normal adjectives and follow the noun fully.

Self-check questions:

• Is the noun masculine or feminine? → choose -o or -a.
• Is it singular or plural? → add -s if plural.

Key idea 4: su and sus – one form, many meanings

Su / sus can mean several English forms.

• his book → su libro
• her book → su libro
• their book → su libro
• your book (formal singular/plural) → su libro

For plural things:

• his books / her books / their books → sus libros

How do speakers avoid confusion? Often by adding de + person:

• su jefe → can be his/her/their/your boss (formal)
• el jefe de María → María’s boss (clear)
• el jefe de ellos → their boss (clear)

Word order: where do possessive adjectives go?

• In this unit we use only the form that goes before the noun.
  • Correct: mi casa, tus padres, nuestra oficina.
  • Incorrect: casa mi, padres tus.
• Think of them like English: my house, your parents, not “house my”.

Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

• Forgetting the plural -s
  • mi amigos → mis amigos (my friends)
  • tu padres → tus padres (your parents)
• Wrong gender after nuestro/vuestro
  • nuestro madre → nuestra madre (mother is feminine)
  • vuestra hermano → vuestro hermano (brother is masculine)
• Mixing “tu” (your) and “tú” (you)
  • tu = your (no accent) → tu casa
  • tú = you (with accent) → tú vives aquí
• Using subject pronouns instead of possessives
  • yo madre → mi madre (my mother)
  • nosotros empresa → nuestra empresa (our company)

Quick practice: can you explain these?

Try to say out loud why each answer is like this:

1. mis padres viven en México.
   • Why mis and not mi?
   • Because padres is plural → need plural form.
2. nuestra oficina está en el centro.
   • Why nuestra and not nuestro?
   • Because oficina is feminine singular.
3. sus hijos trabajan en Alemania.
   • Who is the owner? He, she, they, or you formal – all possible.
   • We know only that hijos is plural, so we use sus.

Checklist: do I control this topic?

• I can choose between mi / mis, tu / tus, su / sus depending on whether the noun is singular or plural.
• I can adjust nuestro/vuestro to the gender and number of the noun: nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras.
• I remember that su/sus can mean his, her, their, or your (formal), and I can clarify with de + person if needed.
• I always put the possessive before the noun: mi familia, tus compañeros, su jefe.
• I can introduce my family and colleagues using these forms without thinking too much.

If you can say a few sentences about your real family and work using mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro, sus, you are ready to focus on speaking practice in class.