Possessives: Comprehensive Guide

Complete guide to possessive adjectives and pronouns in Spanish.

Short-Form Possessive Adjectives

Before nouns (most common):

mi, mis (my) tu, tus (your - informal) su, sus (his/her/your formal/their) nuestro/a, nuestros/as (our) vuestro/a, vuestros/as (your - Spain plural) su, sus (their/your formal plural)

mi libro (my book) tus amigos (your friends) su casa (his/her/your/their house) nuestro coche (our car)

Agreement with Short Forms

mi/tu/su agree only in number: mi libro (my book - singular) mis libros (my books - plural)

nuestro/vuestro agree in gender AND number: nuestro libro (our book - masc. sing.) nuestra casa (our house - fem. sing.) nuestros libros (our books - masc. plur.) nuestras casas (our houses - fem. plur.)

Long-Form Possessive Adjectives

After nouns (for emphasis):

mío/a, míos/as (mine/of mine) tuyo/a, tuyos/as (yours/of yours) suyo/a, suyos/as (his/hers/yours/theirs) nuestro/a, nuestros/as (ours/of ours) vuestro/a, vuestros/as (yours/of yours) suyo/a, suyos/as (theirs/yours)

un amigo mío (a friend of mine) la casa es mía (the house is mine)

Possessive Pronouns

Replace noun entirely:

el mío/la mía (mine) el tuyo/la tuya (yours) el suyo/la suya (his/hers/yours/theirs) el nuestro/la nuestra (ours) el vuestro/la vuestra (yours - Spain) el suyo/la suya (theirs/yours)

Este libro es mío. (This book is mine.) ¿Es tuya esta casa? (Is this house yours?) El coche es nuestro. (The car is ours.)

Using El/La/Los/Las with Pronouns

Must match gender and number of possessed item:

Mi libro y el tuyo. (My book and yours.) Mi casa y la tuya. (My house and yours.) Mis libros y los tuyos. (My books and yours.) Mis casas y las tuyas. (My houses and yours.)

Short vs Long Forms

Short form (before noun): mi casa (my house) tu coche (your car)

Long form (after noun - emphasis): la casa mía (my house - emphatic) el coche tuyo (your car - emphatic)

Long form (after ser): Es mío. (It's mine.) Es tuya. (It's yours.)

Clarifying Su/Sus

Su is ambiguous (his/her/your/their):

Clarify with de + pronoun: su libro → el libro de él (his book) su libro → el libro de ella (her book) su libro → el libro de usted (your book) su libro → el libro de ellos (their book)

With Body Parts and Clothing

Use definite article, not possessive: Me lavo las manos. (I wash my hands.) [Not: mis manos]

Me pongo la chaqueta. (I put on my jacket.) [Not: mi chaqueta]

Possessive only when ambiguous: Tiene mi libro. (He has my book.)

De for Possession

Alternative to possessives: el coche de María (María's car) los libros de Juan (Juan's books) la casa de mis padres (my parents' house)

Whose?

¿De quién es...? (Whose is...?) ¿De quién es este libro? (Whose book is this?)

Answer: Es mío. (It's mine.) Es de María. (It's María's.)

Special Cases

After ser (no article): Es mío. (It's mine.) Son tuyos. (They're yours.)

In other cases (with article): Prefiero el mío. (I prefer mine.) Dame la tuya. (Give me yours.)

With Ser vs Tener

Ser (ownership/relationship): Es mi hermano. (He's my brother.) Es nuestra casa. (It's our house.)

Tener (possession): Tengo mi libro. (I have my book.)

Emphatic Possessives

Use long form after noun: Es un amigo mío. (He's a friend of mine.) Es problema tuyo. (It's your problem.)

Plural Possessors

nuestro padre (our father - we share one father) nuestros padres (our parents - we each have two)

Common Expressions

Cada uno a lo suyo. (Mind your own business.) ¿Qué es de lo tuyo? (What's yours?) por mi parte (as for me) a mi manera (my way)

With Demonstratives

este libro mío (this book of mine) esa casa tuya (that house of yours)

Possessive Pronouns Chart

Common Errors

❌ Es el libro mío ✓ Es mi libro (before noun) ✓ El libro es mío (after ser)

❌ Me lavo mis manos ✓ Me lavo las manos (Use article with body parts)

❌ Esto es el mío ✓ Esto es mío (No article after ser)

❌ la mío casa ✓ mi casa (before noun) ✓ la casa mía (after noun)

Practice