Possessive adjectives and pronouns in Spanish

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, January 16, 2025

Have you ever wondered how to say “that's mine” in Spanish? The Spanish language has several grammatical tools to express the idea of possession or belonging. One way are the possessives in Spanish, which we can divide into two main categories: adjectives and possessive pronouns.

Both adjectives and possessive pronouns help us to speak properly and express the idea that something is yours, for example, a pen, a book, a thought, a car... Below, you will find an explanation of the definition of adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish, their uses and some detailed examples.

Possessive adjectives in Spanish

Possessive adjectives in Spanish are words that accompany a noun and are used to indicate to whom the noun belongs. They act as direct modifiers of the noun, agreeing with it in gender, masculine or feminine, and in number, singular or plural.

In Spanish, possessive adjectives have two main variants: the atonic forms and the tonic forms. But both are used in everyday contexts, especially to signal belonging in a direct and quick way. For example: “Mis amigos llegaron tarde” (My friends were late).

The atonic forms are placed before the noun and are: mí, tu, su, nuestro/a, vuestro/a, mis, tus, sus, sus, nuestros/as, vuestros/as.

Examples of possessive adjectives in Spanish:

• Mi libro está en la mesa (My book in on the table). The possessive adjective “mi” accompanies “libro” and expresses that the book belongs to me.
• Tus amigos llegaron temprano (Your friends are early). Here, “tus” indicates that the friends belong to the person we are talking to.
• Sus ideas son interesantes (Your ideas are interesting). Here, “sus” indicates possession by him or her.
• Nuestro coche es rojo (Our car is red). “Nuestro” indicates that the car belongs to a group of which I am a part.
• Vuestras decisiones son importantes (Your decisions are important). And “vuestras” expresses that the decisions belong to a group of people, vosotros or vosotras.

On the other hand, the tonic forms are placed after the noun and are usually used to emphasize possession. They are also more common in literary or formal language. We find: mío/a, tuyo/a, suyo/a, suyo/as, suyo/as, nuestro/as, vuestro/as, míos/as, tuyos/as, suyos/as, nuestros/as, vuestros/as.

Some practical examples:

• Ese libro es mío (That book is mine). This sentence emphasizes that the book belongs to me.
• Estas decisiones son vuestras (These decisions are yours). It indicates that the decisions belong to you.
• ¿Es tuyo ese coche rojo de ahí? (Is that red car over there yours?) Here, we ask if the car belongs to the person we are talking to.

Possessive pronouns in Spanish

Possessive pronouns in Spanish replace a noun and indicate possession. Their function is to avoid unnecessary repetition of a noun already mentioned, keeping reference to its possession.

The list of possessive pronouns in Spanish is the same as that of adjectives. Thus, in the singular: mío/a, tuyo/a, suyo/a, nuestro/a, vuestro/a; and in the plural: míos/as, tuyos/as, suyos/as, nuestro/as, vuestros/as.

In addition, possessive pronouns in Spanish are used when the noun has already been mentioned before or is evident from the context, thus avoiding redundancies. For example: “Estos son mis libros, pero los tuyos están en la otra habitación” (These are my books, but yours are in the other room).

Examples with Spanish possessive pronouns:

• Ese libro es mío (That book is mine). Substitute for “mi libro” (my book).
• La responsabilidad es nuestra (The responsibility is ours). Replace “nuestra responsabilidad” (our responsibility).
• Estas ideas no son suyas (These ideas are not his). Substitute “sus ideas” (your ideas).

Differences between adjectives and possessive pronouns

Although adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish express the idea of belonging, their use and function are different. And now you may be wondering: what is the difference between these two? Both adjectives and possessive pronouns are almost the same. Well, here is the answer!

On the one hand, possessive adjectives in Spanish always accompany a noun and cannot be used independently. For example: “Este es mi coche” (this is my car). Whereas possessive pronouns replace the noun and can be used independently. In the example above it would be: “Este coche es mío” (this car is mine).

In addition, one thing they do have in common is that both must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to or replace.

Possessives in Spanish are essential tools for communicating belonging in a precise and clear way. Both possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun to which they refer.

Understanding and mastering these structures will not only improve the way you express yourself in Spanish, but also make it easier for you to communicate in different contexts. But if you still have doubts, you can always opt for an intensive Spanish course with Enforex, our teachers will help you understand the possessives in a short time.