POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES DON’T HAVE TO BE CONFUSING.
So, it is very simple: you use possessive adjectives basically when you want to say that something belongs to someone but you always use it before a noun (person, animal, place or thing). Just like in English, when you say : This is MY pencil, in Spanish you would say: Éste es MI lápiz. You can’t just simply say: “Éste es mi”, because… you know… nobody would say “this is my” and just finish there.
So here you have the possessive adjectives; remember they could be plural or singular. (Oh, Spanish!) Good news, it doesn’t matter if your noun is masculine or feminine.
These are the first group of possessive adjectives. Now, there is another group and this is the one that you use AFTER the noun. What? Yes. It is also very simple, so don’t make that confused face!
First of all, they are called possessive pronouns, because the pronoun replaces the noun, so that means there’s no need to repeat the word. You already know what you are talking about. Let’s put it in more practical terms: In English you would say: This is MINE. In Spanish you will say: Esto es MIO. (In both sentences you already know what you are talking about so you do not repeat it by saying something crazy like “This is MINE backpack”. That’s wrong!. Same thing if you said “Esta es mía maleta”. Totally wrong.
You can mention the object you are talking about only if you place it BEFORE “es” or “son” (verbo ser).
So here you go:
Some examples:
- Esa casa es mía.
- Esto es tuyo.
- Esos son suyos.
- Esta ropa es nuestra.
- Ese carro es suyo.
Are you ready for some practice? Click here to test your understanding with a worksheet about possessive adjectives.
