SPANISH POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

WHEN TO USE POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES?

Possessive adjectives are used to designate the relationship between the possessor and the object
possessed.
HOW DO POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AGREE?
In Spanish possessive adjectives agree in gender (feminine or masculine), number (singular or plural)
and person (depending on the relationship between the speaker, the possessed object and its owner)
with the noun that follows.
Examples :
Nuestras tortas son deliciosas. Our pies are delicious.
Nuestros hijos son muy altos. Our children are very tall.
WHERE DO POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES GO IN THE SENTENCE?
Possessive adjectives are placed before the noun. They can be separated from the object they refer to
by a qualifying adjective.
Examples :
Te regalo mi vaso. I offer you my glass.
Te regalo mi gran vaso. I’m giving you my big glass.
WHAT ARE THE POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES IN SPANISH?
In the following table we have listed the different possessive adjectives in the Spanish language.
Singular M/F
Mi Mi
Tu Tu
Su Su
Nuestro Nuestra
Vuestro Vuestra
Su Su
Plural M/F
Mis Mis
Tus Tus
Sus Sus
Nuestros Nuestras
Vuestros Vuestras
Sus Sus
WHICH POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES SHOULD BE USED IN THE CASE OF POLITE AND INFORMAL FORMS OF
ADDRESS?
Note that English uses the same pronouns (you) and possessive adjectives (your, yours) for formal and
informal forms of address.
In the example “Your father is Australian” we cannot know if the speaker is addressing one person,
several people or several people.
On the other hand, this distinction is possible in Spanish thanks to the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus”.
Su”/”sus” correspond to the third person singular and plural (in English “his”, “her”, “their”) as well as to
“vous” (in English “your”, “yours”).
If the speaker is polite to one or more people, the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus” are used.
If the speaker wants to use the informal speech with several people, he will use the possessive
adjectives “vuestro”/”vuestros” (male) or “vuestra”/”vuestras” (female).
Examples :
Su padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> formal address
Vuestro padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> informal address for several people
IS IT NECESSARY TO PUT AN ACCENT (TILDE) ON “MI”?
Be careful not to confuse the possessive adjective “mi” (“my”) and the personal pronoun “mí” (“me”).
Only the personal pronoun “mí” has an accent (tilde). This is what allows us not to confuse it with the
possessive adjective.

Example :
A mí me encanta mi chaqueta. I love my jacket.

1. Mi padre es arquitecto.
2. Tu casa es muy bonita.
3. Ese no es nuestro coche.
4. Voy a darte mi dirección.
5. Nuestra calle es tranquila.
6. La secretaria está en su oficina.
7. Sus padres son brasileños.
8. ¿Son sus gafas, señor?
9. Se puso la chaqueta y salió.
10. Estos guantes son míos y no tuyos.
11. Su hija dice que a su marido no le gusta viajar.
12. Lavó todas sus camisas.