Spanish possessive pronoun
See also: Pronombre and Pronoun types
Possessive pronouns are words that indicate possession.
You will find them acompanying a verb, not a noun.
For example:
Esa mesa es mía.
That table is mine.
Esos gatos son suyos.
Those cats are his.
The form of possessive pronouns will vary depending on the gender and number of the thing that is possessed.
For example:
If we are talking about Carmen's handbag, bolso which is singular masculine:
Ese bolso es suyo.
That handbag is hers.
If we are talking about flowers that I own, flores being feminine plural:
Las flores son mías.
The flowers are mine.
Have a look at these two tables showing the Spanish possessive pronouns. The first one is for when possession is singular, just one item being owned. In the second table the possession is plural, more than one item is owned.
Singular possession:
One Possession | Singular owner | Plural owners |
---|---|---|
1.ª persona | mío, (a) / mine | nuestro, (a) / ours |
2.ª persona | tuyo, (a) / yours | vuestro, (a) / yours |
3.ª persona | suyo, (a) / hers, his, its, yours (formal) | suyo, (a) / theirs, yours (formal) |
Plural possessions:
More than one Possession | Singular owner | Plural owners |
---|---|---|
1.ª persona | míos, (as) / mine | nuestros, (as) / ours |
2.ª persona | tuyos, (as) / yours | vuestros, (as) / yours |
3.ª persona | suyos, (as) / hers, his, its, yours (formal) | suyos, (as) / theirs, yours (formal) |