Possessive Pronouns — European Spanish Grammar

Possessive adjectives are words placed before a noun to indicate ownership or a relationship. In Spanish, these words must agree in number (singular or plural) with the noun being possessed, not with the person who possesses it. Some forms also require agreement in gender.

First and Second Person Singular (My, Your)

The forms for "my" and "your" (informal) only change based on whether the possessed item is singular or plural. They do not change based on gender.

My: Use for singular objects and for plural objects.
Your (informal): Use for singular objects and for plural objects. Note that (your) does not have an accent mark, unlike (the subject pronoun "you").

Mi coche es rojo.
My car is red.
He perdido mis gafas.
I have lost my glasses.
¿Dónde está tu hermano?
Where is your brother?
Tus ideas son interesantes.
Your ideas are interesting.

Third Person and Formal Address (His, Her, Its, Their, Your)

The possessive adjective (and its plural ) is the most versatile and context-dependent form in Spanish. Like and , it only changes for number, not gender.

and can mean:

His / Her / Its (belonging to a third person)
Their (belonging to multiple people)
Your (belonging to or , the formal "you")

Because has so many meanings, context is essential.

Ana habla con su madre.
Ana speaks with her mother.
El perro busca su pelota.
The dog looks for its ball.
Señor Garcia, aquí tiene su cuenta.
Mr. Garcia, here is your bill.
Ellos visitan a sus abuelos.
They visit their grandparents.

First and Second Person Plural (Our, Your)

The forms for "our" and "your" (plural informal) are unique because they have four distinct forms. They must agree with the possessed noun in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

Our ():

(masculine singular)
(feminine singular)
(masculine plural)
(feminine plural)

Nuestro apartamento es pequeño.
Our apartment is small.
Nuestras hermanas viven en Madrid.
Our sisters live in Madrid.

Your ():

In European Spanish, corresponds to the subject pronoun . It is used to address a group of people informally (e.g., friends, family, children).

(masculine singular)
(feminine singular)
(masculine plural)
(feminine plural)

¿Vuestro padre está en casa?
Is your (guys') father at home?
Tenéis que limpiar vuestras habitaciones.
You (guys) have to clean your rooms.

Clarifying Ambiguity with 'Su'

Since can mean "his," "her," "their," or "your," speakers sometimes replace the possessive adjective with a prepositional phrase to avoid confusion. Instead of saying , you can use the structure: article + noun + + owner.

Es el libro de ella.
It is her book. (Instead of su libro)
Son las llaves de él.
They are his keys. (Instead of sus llaves)
La casa de ellos es grande.
Their house is big. (Instead of su casa)

Body Parts and Clothing

A significant difference between English and Spanish is how possession is expressed regarding body parts or articles of clothing, particularly with reflexive verbs. In Spanish, it is standard to use the definite article () rather than a possessive adjective when the possessor is the subject of the sentence.

Me duele la cabeza.
My head hurts. (Literally: The head hurts me.)
Ella se lava las manos.
She washes her hands. (Literally: She washes the hands.)

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s European Spanish course

94 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Possessive Pronouns” is about in bold:

Te presento a mi amiga Anna. Es estudiante.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
Ya me quiero ir a mi casa.
I want to go home now.
Lesson 71
Mi padre le compró un regalo a mi madre.
My father bought a present for my mother.
Lesson 225

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