Understanding Possessive Adjectives in Spanish

Possessive adjectives are words that show who owns something. They need to match the noun they describe in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Let's break it down into simple parts.

What Are Possessive Adjectives?

Here are some common possessive adjectives in Spanish:

• mi (my)
• tu (your - informal)
• su (his, her, your - formal, their)
• nuestro/a (our)
• vuestro/a (your - informal plural)

How Do They Match with Nouns?

Possessive adjectives change depending on the noun they go with. Here’s how:

1. Singular Possessive Adjectives

   • mi libro (my book - masculine)
   • tu silla (your chair - feminine)
   • su casa (his/her/your house - feminine)
   • nuestro hermano (our brother - masculine)
   • nuestra hermana (our sister - feminine)
   • vuestro coche (your car - masculine)
   • vuestra mesa (your table - feminine)

2. Plural Possessive Adjectives

   • mis libros (my books)
   • tus sillas (your chairs)
   • sus casas (his/her/your houses)
   • nuestros hermanos (our brothers)
   • nuestras hermanas (our sisters)
   • vuestros coches (your cars)
   • vuestras mesas (your tables)

Important Grammar Points

• Verb Forms: Possessive adjectives are used with action words in the present tense. For example, "Yo amo mi casa" means "I love my house."

• Subject Pronouns: Use simple subject pronouns like yo (I), tú (you), él (he), etc., to make it clear who owns what.

• Articles: Use words like "el" or "la" when talking about specific nouns. For example, "el libro de mi hermano" means "the book of my brother."

Asking Questions

You can also ask questions using possessive adjectives. For example, "¿Es tu silla?" means "Is it your chair?"

Practice These Sentences

• Mi madre (my mother) trabaja en un hospital. (My mother works in a hospital.)
• Sus amigos (his/her/your friends) son divertidos. (His/her/your friends are fun.)
• Nuestra casa (our house) es grande. (Our house is big.)
• Tus libros (your books) están sobre la mesa. (Your books are on the table.)

Try to remember these structures and practice them in your daily conversations!