Possessive adjectives in Spanish: What are they and how to use them

Learning Spanish can be difficult, especially once you start conjugating verbs and adjectives. You will quickly start using possessive adjectives in Spanish once you have mastered the basics of sentence construction.

Spanish possessive adjectives are words that are used with a noun to specify the relationship of one thing or person to another. Adjectives that show ownership are most frequently used in language.

Possessive adjectives function somewhat differently when used in Spanish, despite having the same goal as when they are used in English. It can be challenging to use them correctly when speaking because they vary depending on the plural and gender of the noun being described.

Let’s have a look at some examples:

• Estoy paseando a mi perro – “I am walking my dog”
• Sus padres están de vacaciones – “Her parents are on vacation”

We now know that the word possessive refers to ownership, whereas an adjective is a word type that describes a noun. They aid a speaker, listener, or reader in understanding who or what possesses something when used in conjunction. In the Spanish language, a variety of possessive adjectives are used. In order to become fluent, you need to learn different Spanish adjectives and their pronunciation. Try looking up different Spanish words in books, videos, and Spanish media.

	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural
My	Mi	Mi	Mis
Your	Tu	Tu	Tus
His/her	Su	Su	Sus
Our	Nuestro	Nuestra	Nuestros/ Nuestras
Their	Su	Su	Sus

How to use possessive adjectives in Spanish

Possessive adjectives in Spanish are used to describe a connection between two objects, either before or after the noun. It’s crucial that possessive adjectives match the appropriate part of the sentence because Spanish possessive adjectives are frequently conjugated based on number and gender.

It can be challenging, though, because you are using them to describe a relationship between two things or people. All adjectives in Spanish must be conjugated according to the word they are directly describing. In this instance, that would be the possession, not the noun describing ownership, of the thing or person.

Let’s have a look at some examples:

• Vi a tus padres en un restaurante – “I saw your parents at a restaurant”
• Dame sus libros – “Give me her books”

As you can see, Spanish possessive adjectives are used to describe the object rather than the speaker. To use the appropriate adjectives, nouns in a sentence should always be differentiated.

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Different types of possessive adjectives in Spanish

In Spanish, there are eight different kinds of possessive adjectives. However, there are four different ways to conjugate each type of possessive adverb: singular, plural, masculine, and feminine. This gives the impression that there is still more to learn, but as soon as you understand the stem word and the fundamental conjugation rules, you will be able to use possessive adjectives in Spanish like a native speaker.

A Spanish word’s stem is its most basic representation, in this case, the masculine singular possessive adjective. Spanish possessive adjectives can be divided into two main categories: short-form and long-form. These are also referred to, respectfully, as stressed and unstressed possessive adjectives.

Unstressed possessive adjectives in Spanish

The most frequent and compact form of the possessive adjective in Spanish is the unstressed form, which comes before the noun it describes. Adjetivos posesivos átonos and adjetivos posesivos débiles are other names for them.

Without realizing it, you probably already use these short-form possessive adjectives when speaking or learning Spanish. In Spanish, the stems of the various unstressed possessive adjectives are mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro, and su.

These are conjugated according to the principle of agreement, which means that they are gender and number equivalent to the noun. The only two unstressed possessive adjectives in Spanish that change with gender are nuestro/a/os/as and vuestro/a/os/as, which are both short adjectives.

For example

• Déjame ver tu bicicleta – “Let me see your bicycle”

For a more comprehensive understanding of unstressed possessive adjectives in Spanish, consider the following chart:

My	Mi
Your	Tu
His/Her	Su
Our	Nuestro
Your	Vuestro
Their	Su
Your	Su

Stressed possessive adjectives in Spanish

Spanish-stressed possessive adjectives draw the listener’s attention away from the noun being described and toward the adjective. They are less frequent and target the noun they are describing. The subject of possession is less significant than the person to whom it belongs when using stressed possessive adjectives in a sentence.

Adjetivos posesivos tónicos or adjetivos posesivoes fuertes are other names for them. These are known as long-form possessive adjectives in English. In Spanish, the stems of the various stressed possessive adjectives are moi, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, vuestro, and suyo.

The rule of agreement is used to conjugate these as well, but in this instance, it is based on who the object belongs to. This would include phrases like “of mine” or “of ours” if it were written in English. For example:

• Ella es una amiga nuestra – “She’s a friend of ours” or “She’s our friend”.
• La novio suya está llegando – “The boyfriend of hers is coming” or “Her boyfriend is coming”

Singular possessive adjectives in Spanish

In Spanish, singular nouns are described by singular possessive adjectives. This includes the Spanish for stressed and unstressed possessive adjectives in both the male and female genders. The possessive adjectives mi, tu, su, nuestro/a, vuestro/a, and su are all unstressed. The possessive adjectives mo, tu, su, neu, vue, and suyo are all stressed forms.

For example:

• Me gusta mi hermana – “I like my sister”
• El hijo tuyo canta muy bien – “The son of yours sings very well” or “Your son sings very well”
• El problema suyo es muy pequeño – “The problem of his is very small” or “His problem is very small”

Plural possessive adjectives in Spanish

Spanish plural possessive adjectives are used to characterize plural nouns. This includes the stressed and unstressed possessive adjectives in Spanish in both the masculine and feminine genders. The possessive adjectives mis, tus, sus, nuestros/as, vuestros/as, and sus are not stressed. The possessive nouns nos/as, tuyos/as, suyos/as, nuestros/as, vuestros/as, and nos/as are stressed.

For example:

• Fernanda no sabe si sus amigos vendrán – “Fernanda doesn’t know if her friends will come”
• Nuestros padres no se fueron – “Our parents didn’t’ go”
• Me gustan esos zapatos tuyos – “I like those shoes of yours” or “I like your shoes”
• Ellas son amigas míos – “They are friends of mine” or “They are my friends”

Frequently asked questions

Q. What are the rules for possessive adjectives in Spanish?

A. Possessive adjectives, like all adjectives in Spanish, must agree with the noun they modify. Thus, if the noun is feminine, the possessive adjective must be feminine, too. However, in Spanish, the masculine and feminine forms of the possessive determiners mi, mis, tu, tus, su, and sus are the same.

Q. How do you identify a possessive adjective?

A. A possessive adjective is an adjective that modifies a noun by identifying who has ownership or possession of it.

Q. What are possessives in grammar?

A. Possessives are forms that we use to talk about possessions and relationships between things and people.

Conclusion

Possessive pronouns can also be used to show a connection between two objects in a subject. This includes the preposition de, which functions similarly to how an apostrophe “s” is used in English.

However, these follow different grammatical rules and can get a bit complicated. Look for various platforms such as learn Spanish on Duolingo to seek professional guidance. You can enroll yourself with italki to connect with a native speaker who shares your interests is a great option when attempting to understand the complexities of possessive adjectives in Spanish or any other language.

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