Possessive Adjectives: Mi, Tu, Su, Nuestro

Learn how to express ownership and relationships in Spanish using possessive adjectives - words like "my," "your," "his," "her," and "our"!

What Are Possessive Adjectives?

Possessive adjectives show who something belongs to:

• my book → mi libro
• your car → tu coche
• his house → su casa

Important: In Spanish, possessive adjectives must agree with the noun they modify, not with the owner!

The Basic Possessive Adjectives

Complete Chart

Mi / Mis - My

Mi (singular) / Mis (plural)

Singular (mi)

Use mi before singular nouns:

• mi libro (my book)
• mi casa (my house)
• mi amigo (my friend - male)
• mi amiga (my friend - female)
• mi padre (my father)
• mi madre (my mother)

Plural (mis)

Use mis before plural nouns:

• mis libros (my books)
• mis casas (my houses)
• mis amigos (my friends)
• mis amigas (my female friends)
• mis padres (my parents)

Key point: Use mis when the noun is plural, regardless of gender!

Tu / Tus - Your (Informal)

Tu (singular) / Tus (plural)

Singular (tu)

Use tu before singular nouns:

• tu libro (your book)
• tu casa (your house)
• tu hermano (your brother)
• tu hermana (your sister)
• tu teléfono (your phone)

Plural (tus)

Use tus before plural nouns:

• tus libros (your books)
• tus casas (your houses)
• tus hermanos (your siblings/brothers)
• tus hermanas (your sisters)
• tus amigos (your friends)

Important: Don't confuse tu (your) with tú (you)!

• Tú eres mi amigo (You are my friend) - "tú" with accent = you
• Tu amigo es simpático (Your friend is nice) - "tu" no accent = your

Su / Sus - His, Her, Your (Formal), Their

Su (singular) / Sus (plural)

This is the most complicated possessive because it has multiple meanings!

Singular (su)

Su can mean: his, her, your (formal), their (singular noun)

• su libro = his book / her book / your book / their book
• su casa = his house / her house / your house / their house
• su amigo = his friend / her friend / your friend / their friend

Plural (sus)

Sus for plural nouns:

• sus libros = his books / her books / your books / their books
• sus casas = his houses / her houses / your houses / their houses
• sus amigos = his friends / her friends / your friends / their friends

Clarifying "Su/Sus"

Since su/sus is ambiguous, Spanish speakers often clarify:

Formula: su + noun + de + person

Examples:

• su libro de él (his book - literally "his book of him")
• su libro de ella (her book)
• su libro de usted (your book - formal)
• su libro de ellos (their book)
• su libro de María (María's book)

Alternative structure: noun + de + person

• el libro de él (his book)
• el libro de ella (her book)
• el libro de María (María's book)

Nuestro/a / Nuestros/as - Our

This is the only possessive that changes for gender AND number!

Forms

Examples

Masculine singular:

• nuestro libro (our book)
• nuestro coche (our car)
• nuestro padre (our father)
• nuestro amigo (our friend)

Feminine singular:

• nuestra casa (our house)
• nuestra escuela (our school)
• nuestra madre (our mother)
• nuestra amiga (our friend)

Masculine plural:

• nuestros libros (our books)
• nuestros coches (our cars)
• nuestros padres (our parents/fathers)
• nuestros amigos (our friends)

Feminine plural:

• nuestras casas (our houses)
• nuestras escuelas (our schools)
• nuestras madres (our mothers)
• nuestras amigas (our female friends)

Vuestro/a / Vuestros/as - Your (Plural, Spain)

Used in Spain for "you all" (informal plural)

Forms

Like "nuestro," this changes for gender AND number:

Note: In Latin America, use su/sus instead of vuestro/a/os/as.

Agreement Rules

Rule 1: Possessives agree with the NOUN, not the owner

English: His books (masculine owner) Spanish: Sus libros (plural noun)

The noun is plural, so we use sus - it doesn't matter if the owner is masculine!

More examples:

• María tiene su libro (María has her book) - "libro" is masculine, but we still use "su"
• Juan y María tienen sus libros (Juan and María have their books) - plural noun = sus

Rule 2: Mi, tu, su only change for NUMBER (singular/plural)

• mi/mis
• tu/tus
• su/sus

Rule 3: Nuestro and vuestro change for GENDER and NUMBER

• nuestro/nuestra/nuestros/nuestras
• vuestro/vuestra/vuestros/vuestras

Common Phrases with Possessives

Family

Belongings

Personal Items

Asking Questions with Possessives

¿Cuál es...? (What is...?) + possessive

• "¿Cuál es tu nombre?" (What's your name?)
• "¿Cuál es su dirección?" (What's your/his/her address?)
• "¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?" (What's your phone number?)

¿Dónde está...? (Where is...?) + possessive

• "¿Dónde está mi libro?" (Where's my book?)
• "¿Dónde están tus llaves?" (Where are your keys?)
• "¿Dónde está su casa?" (Where's his/her/your house?)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using "de" Like English "'s"

English uses 's to show possession: John's book

Wrong: ❌ "Juan's libro" Right: ✅ "El libro de Juan" (John's book - literally "the book of John") Right: ✅ "Su libro" (His book)

❌ Mistake 2: Confusing "tu" and "tú"

tu (no accent) = your (possessive) tú (with accent) = you (subject pronoun)

Wrong: ❌ "Tú libro es interesante" Right: ✅ "Tu libro es interesante" (Your book is interesting)

Wrong: ❌ "Tu eres mi amigo" Right: ✅ "Tú eres mi amigo" (You are my friend)

❌ Mistake 3: Making mi/tu/su Agree with Owner's Gender

The possessive agrees with the THING owned, not the owner!

Wrong: ❌ "Juan tiene su casa" vs "María tiene sa casa" Right: ✅ Both use "su casa" (his/her house)

The word "casa" is feminine, but both Juan and María use su because that's the form that goes with "casa."

❌ Mistake 4: Using the Wrong Form of Nuestro

Wrong: ❌ "nuestro casa" (casa is feminine!) Right: ✅ "nuestra casa" (our house)

Wrong: ❌ "nuestra libros" (libros is masculine!) Right: ✅ "nuestros libros" (our books)

❌ Mistake 5: Adding Articles Before Possessives

Wrong: ❌ "el mi libro" (don't use article + possessive) Right: ✅ "mi libro" (my book) Right: ✅ "el libro" (the book)

De + Noun (Alternative Possession)

Spanish often uses de + noun/pronoun instead of possessives:

With proper names:

• "El libro de María" (María's book)
• "La casa de Juan" (Juan's house)
• "Los padres de Ana" (Ana's parents)

With pronouns:

• "El libro de él" (his book) - clarifies "su"
• "La casa de ella" (her house)
• "Los amigos de nosotros" (our friends)

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Form

1. ___ libro (my)
2. ___ casa (your - informal)
3. ___ amigos (his/her)
4. ___ padres (our)
5. ___ hermanas (your - informal, plural)

Answers:

1. mi libro
2. tu casa
3. sus amigos
4. nuestros padres
5. tus hermanas

Exercise 2: Complete with the Correct Form of "Nuestro"

1. ___ casa (our house - feminine)
2. ___ coche (our car - masculine)
3. ___ libros (our books - masculine plural)
4. ___ amigas (our friends - feminine plural)

Answers:

1. nuestra casa
2. nuestro coche
3. nuestros libros
4. nuestras amigas

Exercise 3: Translate to Spanish

1. My house
2. Your book (informal)
3. His car
4. Our school (feminine)
5. Their friends

Answers:

1. mi casa
2. tu libro
3. su coche / su carro
4. nuestra escuela
5. sus amigos

Exercise 4: Fix the Mistakes

1. Tú libro es interesante
2. El mi amigo
3. Nuestro casa
4. Mis hermano
5. Tu eres mi amigo

Answers:

1. Tu libro es interesante (tu without accent)
2. Mi amigo (no article before possessive)
3. Nuestra casa (casa is feminine)
4. Mi hermano (singular noun = singular possessive)
5. Tú eres mi amigo (tú with accent = you)

Quick Reference Chart

Short Forms (Before Nouns)

Practice Dialogue

A: ¿Dónde está tu hermano? B: Mi hermano está en su casa. A: ¿Y tus padres? B: Mis padres están con nuestros abuelos. A: ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? B: Mi número es 555-1234.

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Mi, Tu, Su

• Master mi/mis, tu/tus, su/sus
• Practice with family vocabulary
• Learn the difference between tu (your) and tú (you)

Week 2: Nuestro/a/os/as

• Learn all four forms of nuestro
• Practice gender and number agreement
• Use with common nouns

Week 3: Full Practice

• Combine all possessives
• Practice in full sentences
• Learn clarification with "de"

Week 4: Real Conversations

• Describe your belongings
• Talk about family using possessives
• Ask and answer questions

Pro Tip: Make flashcards with possessives + family members: "mi padre," "tu hermana," "su hijo," "nuestra madre." This combines two essential vocabulary areas!

Memory Trick: For nuestro/vuestro, think of the ending -o/-a as matching the noun: "nuestro libro" (both masculine -o), "nuestra casa" (both feminine -a).

Practice: Describe everything in your room using possessives: "Esta es mi cama. Estos son mis libros. Esta es mi computadora."

Remember: Possessive adjectives are fundamental for expressing relationships and ownership. Practice them daily and they'll become automatic!