How to Define Possession in Spanish

Hey, that is mine!

In this lesson, we are going to take a look at the “possessives”. “Possessives” define the possession of a noun. We have different types of possessives that are used depending on the gender and plurality of the noun. Let’s take a look!

Note: if you have learned a little bit of Spanish before with the pronoun “Tú” instead of “Vos”, you should notice that the possessive pronouns are the same for both (tú and vos).

The following are possessives that we use before the noun.

Mi/s Tu/s Su/s

Nuestro/a/s Su/s

“Mi casa es azul.” (My house is blue.)

“Sus libros son interesantes.” (Her books are interesting.) “Nuestros amigos son simpáticos.” (Our friends are nice.)

There are other possessives that we use after the noun.

Mío/a/s Tuyo/a/s Suyo/a/s Nuestro/a/s Suyo/a/s

“Ella es amiga mía”. (She is my friend.)

“La camisa suya es más linda”. (His shirt is nicer.)

When we need to know if something is from a person or who is the owner, we use these possessives.

¿De quién esa esta camisa?, ¿Es tuya? (Whoose shirt is this? Its yours?)

No es mía. Quizás es suya. (It is not mine. Maybe it is his.)

We can also use the above possessives without the noun and replace them. In that case, you need the article (el, la, los, las) from the noun followed immediately by the above possessive pronouns.

“Mi casa tiene cuatro ventanas.” (My house has four windows.)

“La mía dos”. (Mine has two.)

“Mis alumnos tienen buenas notas. ¿Los tuyos?” (My students have good grades. Yours?)

“Los míos no”. (Mine don’t.)

Not too complicated is it? These will come in handy when you are in Spain and your friend tries to take a bite from one of your tapas! Or if you are in Argentina, you can protect your empanadas! Just tell them: “¡Quítate las manos de encima, esa es la mia!” (Get your hands off, that is mine!)

Practice Exercises (For Paid Subscribers Only)

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive.

1. Ellos son Gustavo y María. Ellos son ______ amigos.

2. Juan lee ______ libro de español.

3. Louis es mi amigo y también es tu amigo. Es ______ amigo.

4. Ellos tienen una casa en Florida. ________ casa es muy linda.