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2008 BITTERHANK
Notes Examples

Practice

Things to Keep in Mind

 Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives in English are words such as
my, your, or their. In Spanish these words come
before the noun too. Youve seen mi amigo and
tus padres before. These mean my and your,
but why are they spelled this way? What are the
other possessive adjectives?

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 Possessive Adjectives
Here are all the possessive adjectives. Why are there so
many spellings? Why is the word su used so much?
my = mi / mis
your = tu / tus
his = su / sus
her = su / sus
its = su / sus
our = nuestro, a / nuestros, as
your (plural) = vuestro, a / vuestros, as
your (plural) = su / sus

their = su / sus
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 Agreement
As with other adjectives, possessive adjectives have to agree. Only the
adjectives that end with o (nuestro / vuestro) have to agree for gender.

mi libro = my book singular

mis libros = my books plural

nuestro padre = our dad masculine singular

nuestra madre = our mom feminine singular
nuestros hermanos = our siblings masculine plural
nuestras tas = our aunts feminine plural

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 Agreement
Be careful with agreement! The adjective agrees with what is owned or
possessed NOT with who owns it. Every example here means our, but the
ending changes depending on what is owned. Some students think that
nuestras is something only girls would say, but thats not true. It just
depends on what comes after our.

nuestro abuelo = our grandpa

nuestra prima = our (girl) cousin
nuestros abuelos = our grandparents
nuestras hijas = our daughters

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 SU!?
This one little word causes so much confusion for Spanish students! Dont
worry, my older students occasionally make mistakes with this word.

his
her

su / sus = your (Ud.)

its
your (Uds.)
their

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 SU!?
This word agrees for what is owned, NOT who owns it, so the word sus not only
means their, but it could mean so many other things. Youll know by context. In
English youd never say his dad unless you had already mentioned who you were
talking about. The same applies in Spanish.

su regla = his, her, its, your, their ruler

sus reglas = his, her, its, your, their rulers

su & sus do not agree for gender

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 Plural Your?!?
This is awful grammar, but just about all of you say it... your guys
Say this sentence out loud. I walked past your house yesterday and your guys
dog chased me. I guess its not as bad as yunzs dog!
In English the word your can be singular or plural. If Im talking to a group of
people and say, your parents the group knows that I am talking about all of their
parents. In English we use context. In Spanish there are several words for your.

tu / tus = your (singular & informal, t)

su / sus = your (singular & formal, Ud.)

vuestro,a / vuestros, as = your (plural in Spain, vosotros)

su / sus = your (plural in Latin America, Uds.)

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 Plural Your?!?
These examples are essentially the your guys of Spanish. If you are talking to
more than one person, and you want to say your, use these examples.
Remember, the word should only end in s if more than one thing is owned.

vuestro primo = your (boy) cousin

vuestra prima = your (girl) cousin
vuestros libros = your books
vuestras carpetas = your folders

su to = your uncle
sus papeles = your papers

*Remember that su / sus dont agree for gender.

*Also remember that su / sus can mean many other things.

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 One Last Note
Think of the possessive adjectives like the way you think of verb endings.

Singular Plural singular plural

my our mi / mis nuestro,a / nuestros, as
your your tu / tusvuestro,a / vuestros, as
your your su / sus su / sus
his their
her
its

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 Examples
A mi padre le gusta ir de pesca. My dad likes to fish.
Mis amigos van tambin. My friends are going too.
Tu primo es muy perezoso. Your cousin is very lazy.
Quines son tus padres? Who are your parents?
Necesita Ud. su regla? Do you need your ruler? (formal)
Cundo es su cumpleaos? When is your birthday? (formal)
El va con su familia. Hes going with his family.
El no quiere sus guisantes. He doesnt want his peas.
A ella le gusta su escuela. She likes her school.
Ella tiene sus libros. She has her books.
Nuestro abuelo es alto. Our grandfather is tall.
Nuestra familia es grande. Our family is big.
Nuestras hermanas son gemelas. Our sisters are twins
Nuestros amigos no van. Our friends arent going.

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 Examples
Vuestro amigo es simptico.
A vuestra madre le gusta cocinar?
Tenis vuestros libros?
Vais con vuestras familias?
Uds. necesitan hacer su tarea.
Van Uds. con sus padres?
Ellos juegan con su perro.
A ellos les gustan sus videojuegos.
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Your friend is nice.
Does your mom like to cook
Do you guys have your books?
Are you all going with your families?
You guys need to do your homework.
Are you guys going with your parents?
They play with their dog.
They like their videogames.
 Practice
Click below to go to Quia.

There are several activities for possessive adjectives. Some may use
words that you dont know, but thats okay. Just use context to figure out
what is being said, and make the words agree.

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 Things to Keep in Mind
Possessive adjectives come before the noun.
Possessive adjectives agree for number, and sometimes
number and gender (nuestro / vuestro).
The word su means many things, and can be confusing.
There are several ways to say your in Spanish. Be sure
you have the right one!

Look through the notes and examples several times,

and do the practice activities.

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