The thing to remember about possessive adjectives is that they are noun markers; they agree with the noun (or nouns) they modify and NOT with the subject pronoun. Needless to say, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they are associated with. Take a look at the possessive adjectives:
Possessive adjectives (before the noun)
Singular
Plural
mi
mis
my
tu
tus
your
su
sus
his, her, your, it
nuestro(m), nuestra(f)
nuestros(m), nuestras(f)
our
vuestro(m), vuestra(f)
vuestros(m), vuestras(f)
your
su
sus
their, your(ustedes)
The possessive adjectives listed above are placed BEFORE the nouns. When the adjective follows the noun we use a different form (see the table below). Also, " su"
can mean "his", "her", "your"(plural), or "their". You will know the precise meaning of "su" by following the context of what is being said. To avoid ambiguity, these adjectives are usually replaced by "de él", "de ella", "de usted/ustedes", or "de ellos/ellas".
- Este es mi coche. (This is my car.)
- ¿Es este tu abrigo? (Is this your coat?)
- Su coche es muy veloz. (His/her/your car is very fast.)
- Esta es su madre. (This is his/ her/their mother.)
Possessive adjectives (after the noun)
Singular
Plural
mío
míos
my
tuyo
tuyos
your
suyo
suyos
his, her, your, it
nuestro(m), nuestra(f)
nuestros(m), nuestras(f)
our
vuestro(m), vuestra(f)
vuestros(m), vuestras(f)
your
suyo
suyos
their, your(ustedes)
- ¿Recibiste mi carta? (Did you receive my letter?)
- ¿Recibiste la carta mía? (Did you receive my letter?) - Quiero comprar tu libro. (I want to buy your book.)
- Quiero comprar el libro tuyo. (I want to buy your book.)
- No me gustan sus amigos. (I don´t like his/her/their fiends.)
- No me gustan los amigos suyos. (I don´t like his/her/their friends.)
Pay attention:
Whenever there is a clear understanding of the possessor (for example, when talking about parts of the body or personal belongings), we use the definite article instead of the possessive adjectives:
- Me duele la cabeza. (My head hurts.)
- Quítate el abrigo. (Take off your coat.)
- He perdido el bolso. (I have lost my purse.)
- No puedo encontrar las llaves del coche. (I can´t find my car keys.)
