The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Possessives

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Possessives are the words for my, your, mine, and so on. Spanish also shows possession with de, since there's no apostrophe s: el coche de María is “María's car.”
The Spanish possessive adjectives, singular and plural, masculine and feminine
masculinefeminineSingularPlural
mymi (masculine and feminine)mis (masculine and feminine)
your (tú)tu (masculine and feminine)tus (masculine and feminine)
his, her, your (usted), itssu (masculine and feminine)sus (masculine and feminine)
ournuestro (masculine)nuestra (feminine)nuestros (masculine)nuestras (feminine)
your (vosotros)vuestro (masculine)vuestra (feminine)vuestros (masculine)vuestras (feminine)
their, your (ustedes)su (masculine and feminine)sus (masculine and feminine)
On this page

They match the thing owned

A possessive matches the thing that's owned, not the owner. Here, the owner is always we, but nuestro changes with each noun.

Masculine
  • nuestro cocheour car
  • nuestros librosour books
Feminine
  • nuestra casaour house
  • nuestras llavesour keys

The same goes for number. A man talking about his sisters says mis hermanas, plural, because there's more than one sister, even though there's just one owner.

  • Mi hermano y yo compartimos nuestra habitación.

    My brother and I share our room.

  • Juan quiere mucho a sus hermanas.

    Juan loves his sisters very much.

  • Mis padres venden su casa.

    My parents are selling their house.

Mi, tu, su, nuestro: before the noun

The short possessives in the table above go right before the noun, in place of an article. Mi, tu, and su only add ‑s for plural. Nuestro and vuestro change for gender too.

  • Mi hermano vive en Chile.

    My brother lives in Chile.

  • ¿Dónde están tus llaves?

    Where are your keys?

  • Nuestra profesora es muy simpática.

    Our teacher is very nice.

Clearing up su

Su and sus cover a lot of ground: they can mean his, her, its, their, and formal your.

  • élellaustedellosellasustedes
    use
    su casahis, her, your, or their house

Usually the context makes it clear. When it doesn't, use de + the person instead:

  1. Could be anyone’s
    Es su casa.

    It’s his / her / your / their house.

    Clear
    Es la casa de ella.

    It’s her house.

  2. Could be anyone’s
    Me gusta su coche.

    I like his / her / your / their car.

    Clear
    Me gusta el coche de usted.

    I like your car.

  3. Could be anyone’s
    ¿Es su perro?

    Is it his / her / your / their dog?

    Clear
    ¿Es el perro de ellos?

    Is it their dog?

Possession with de

Spanish has no apostrophe s. Instead, the thing owned comes first, then de and the owner.

  • Es la casa de mis padres.

    It’s my parents’ house.

  • El libro de la profesora está en la mesa.

    The teacher’s book is on the table.

  • El perro del vecino ladra mucho.

    The neighbor’s dog barks a lot.

Mío, tuyo, suyo: the long forms

Each possessive also has a long form. It goes after the noun, or after ser, and it always matches the thing owned in gender and number.

The long possessive forms, singular and plural, masculine and feminine
masculinefeminineSingularPlural
mine, of minemío (masculine)mía (feminine)míos (masculine)mías (feminine)
yours (tú)tuyo (masculine)tuya (feminine)tuyos (masculine)tuyas (feminine)
his, hers, yours, theirssuyo (masculine)suya (feminine)suyos (masculine)suyas (feminine)
oursnuestro (masculine)nuestra (feminine)nuestros (masculine)nuestras (feminine)
yours (vosotros)vuestro (masculine)vuestra (feminine)vuestros (masculine)vuestras (feminine)

  • Un amigo mío vive en Lima.

    A friend of mine lives in Lima.

  • Esta chaqueta es tuya.

    This jacket is yours.

  • Unos primos nuestros vienen mañana.

    Some cousins of ours are coming tomorrow.

Mine, yours: el mío

To say mine, yours, and so on without repeating the noun, put an article before the long form. Both words match the thing you mean.

  • Tu coche es rojo, y el mío es azul.

    Your car is red, and mine is blue.

  • ¿Esta maleta es la tuya?

    Is this suitcase yours?

  • Mis padres viven en Madrid. ¿Y los tuyos?

    My parents live in Madrid. And yours?

Body parts and clothes

Where English says my head or your coat, Spanish usually uses the article instead, since the verb already shows whose it is.

  1. Word for word
    Me duele mi cabeza.

    (sounds odd)

    Natural Spanish
    Me duele la cabeza.

    My head hurts.

  2. Word for word
    Ponte tu abrigo.

    (sounds odd)

    Natural Spanish
    Ponte el abrigo.

    Put your coat on.

  3. Word for word
    Me lavo mis manos.

    (sounds odd)

    Natural Spanish
    Me lavo las manos.

    I wash my hands.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Matching the owner instead of the thing

    Incorrect:Mi hermano y yo vivimos en nuestro casa.
    Correct:Mi hermano y yo vivimos en nuestra casa.

    Nuestro matches casa, which is feminine.

  2. Forgetting the plural

    Incorrect:Mi amigos son de México.
    Correct:Mis amigos son de México.

    With a plural noun, mi becomes mis.

  3. Using the short form on its own

    Incorrect:Este libro es mi.
    Correct:Este libro es mío.

    Without a noun after it, use the long form.

  4. Saying “a friend of me”

    Incorrect:Es un amigo de mí.
    Correct:Es un amigo mío.

    A friend of mine uses the long form after the noun.

  5. Using a possessive with body parts

    Sounds unnatural:Me duele mi cabeza.
    Correct:Me duele la cabeza.

    With body parts and clothes, Spanish usually uses the article.

Questions about possessives

What are the possessive adjectives in Spanish?

Mi (my), tu (your), su (his, her, its, your formal, their), nuestro (our), and vuestro (your all, in Spain). They go before the noun and add -s for a plural noun: mis libros. Nuestro and vuestro also change for gender: nuestra casa.

What is the difference between mi and mío?

Mi goes before a noun: mi amigo ("my friend"). Mío goes after a noun or after ser: un amigo mío ("a friend of mine"), Es mío ("It's mine"). With an article, el mío means "mine": Tu coche es rojo, el mío es azul.

How do you say "whose" in Spanish?

In questions, ¿De quién?: ¿De quién es este libro? ("Whose book is this?"). If more than one owner is expected, ¿De quiénes?

How do you know what su means?

Usually from context. Su can mean "his," "her," "its," "your" (formal), or "their." When it's unclear, replace it with de + the person: la casa de ella ("her house"), la casa de usted ("your house").

How do you say "mine" in Spanish?

Use the article + the long form: el mío, la mía, los míos, las mías, matching the thing you mean: Esta es tu llave y esta es la mía. After ser, you can drop the article: Es mío.

Next upAdverbsMaking -mente adverbs, the most common adverbs, bien vs. bueno, muy vs. mucho, and where they go.

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