Possessive Adjectives

01

Agreement with the Noun

The form of the possessive adjective changes to match the item being possessed. For example, the word for "my" changes depending on whether the noun that follows is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

• Meu carro é novo.

  My car is new. (carro is masculine, singular)

• Minha casa é grande.

  My house is big. (casa is feminine, singular)

• Meus livros são velhos.

  My books are old. (livros is masculine, plural)

• Minhas chaves estão aqui.

  My keys are here. (chaves is feminine, plural)

Here are the main possessive adjectives:

• My: meu / minha / meus / minhas
• Your (informal, for tu): teu / tua / teus / tuas
• Your (for você), His, Her, Their: seu / sua / seus / suas
• Our: nosso / nossa / nossos / nossas

02

The Ambiguity of `Seu` and `Sua`

In Brazilian Portuguese, the pronouns você (you), ele (he), ela (she), and eles/elas (they) all use the same possessive adjectives: seu, sua, seus, and suas. This can create ambiguity.

For example, the sentence Ele pegou seu livro could mean:

• He took his (own) book.
• He took your book.
• He took her book.

While context often clarifies the meaning, there is a more precise way to express possession for third persons ("his," "her," "their").

03

Clarifying Ownership: Using `Dele`, `Dela`, `Deles`, `Delas`

To avoid ambiguity, it is very common to place a prepositional phrase after the noun. These are formed by combining de (of) with a pronoun.

• de + ele → dele (of him / his)
• de + ela → dela (of her / hers)
• de + eles → deles (of them / their - for a masculine or mixed group)
• de + elas → delas (of them / their - for an all-female group)

These phrases are placed after the noun and agree with the owner, not the object. This makes them very clear.

• Este é o carro dele.

  This is his car.

• A bicicleta dela é vermelha.

  Her bicycle is red.

• Eu conheço os pais deles.

  I know their parents.

Using these forms removes all doubt. Compare the ambiguous sentence from before:

• Ele pegou o livro dela.

  He took her book.

• Ele pegou o livro dele.

  He took his (own) book.

04

Choosing "Your": `Teu` vs. `Seu`

Both teu and seu can mean "your." The choice depends on the pronoun you use for "you."

• Use teu (and its variations tua, teus, tuas) when addressing someone as tu. This is common in some regions of Brazil, like the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and is considered more informal.
• Use seu (and its variations sua, seus, suas) when addressing someone as você. This is the standard form in most of Brazil, including in major cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and is used in both formal and informal contexts.

• Você esqueceu a sua jaqueta.

  You forgot your jacket. (using você)

• Tu esqueceste a tua jaqueta.

  You forgot your jacket. (using tu)

For most learners, focusing on você and seu/sua is the most practical approach for general communication in Brazil.