Spanish Possessive Adjectives: mi, tu, su + Long Forms
🇪🇸 Spanish · 20 cards · A1 · by Lucía Herrera
Possessives are one of the first things my students learn and one of the last they get right. Two things trip them up. First, the ending agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner: nuestras clases is feminine because clases is, whoever is speaking. Second, su and sus are the busiest words on the list: his, her, its, their and formal your, all at once.
The first twelve cards are the short forms, which go before the noun. Then come the long forms (mío, tuyo, suyo...), which go after the noun or after ser. Read each example out loud and notice which noun the ending is copying.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 20 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mi Same form for masculine and feminine: mi hermano, mi hermana. No accent — mí with an accent means 'me'. | my (before a singular noun) | Mi hermana vive en Valencia. My sister lives in Valencia. | |
| 2 | mis Changes only for number, never for gender: mis libros, mis llaves. | my (before a plural noun) | Mis padres llegan el sábado. My parents arrive on Saturday. | |
| 3 | tu No accent. Tú with an accent is the pronoun 'you'. | your (informal, one owner, singular noun) | ¿Dónde está tu teléfono? Where is your phone? | |
| 4 | tus Used with tú, and also with vos in Argentina: tus amigos. | your (informal, one owner, plural noun) | Me encantan tus zapatos. I love your shoes. | |
| 5 | su The most ambiguous word in the deck. To be clear, add a de phrase: el coche de él, de ella, de ellos. With usted it means 'your'. | his, her, its, their, your (formal) — with a singular noun | Su coche es azul. His/Her/Their car is blue. | |
| 6 | sus In Latin America sus is also the normal plural 'your' (ustedes), where Spain uses vuestros/vuestras. | his, her, its, their, your (formal) — with a plural noun | Sus hijos estudian en el mismo colegio. Their children study at the same school. | |
| 7 | nuestro Has four forms, and they agree with the thing owned, not with who owns it. | our (masculine singular) | Nuestro perro duerme en el sofá. Our dog sleeps on the sofa. | |
| 8 | nuestra | our (feminine singular) | Nuestra casa está cerca del parque. Our house is near the park. | |
| 9 | nuestros Also used for mixed groups: nuestros abuelos = our grandparents. | our (masculine plural) | Nuestros vecinos son muy amables. Our neighbours are very nice. | |
| 10 | nuestras | our (feminine plural) | Nuestras clases empiezan a las nueve. Our classes start at nine. | |
| 11 | vuestro Spain only, with vosotros. In Latin America use su: ¿Cuál es su plan? Plural: vuestros. | your (to several people; masculine singular noun) | ¿Cuál es vuestro plan para el domingo? What's your plan for Sunday? | |
| 12 | vuestra Spain only. Plural: vuestras — vuestras maletas. | your (to several people; feminine singular noun) | Me gustó mucho vuestra presentación. I really liked your presentation. | |
| 13 | mío Long form: it goes after the noun or after ser. Un amigo mío = a friend of mine. | mine, of mine (masculine singular) | Ese libro es mío. That book is mine. | |
| 14 | mía Common in exclamations: ¡Madre mía!, ¡Hija mía! | mine, of mine (feminine singular) | La culpa fue mía, perdón. It was my fault, sorry. | |
| 15 | míos | mine, of mine (masculine plural) | Estos apuntes no son míos. These notes aren't mine. | |
| 16 | mías Note the pattern: dos amigas mías, never dos mis amigas. | mine, of mine (feminine plural) | Dos amigas mías vienen al concierto. Two friends of mine are coming to the concert. | |
| 17 | tuyo Plural: tuyos. Un primo tuyo = a cousin of yours. | yours, of yours (informal, masculine singular) | ¿Este paraguas es tuyo? Is this umbrella yours? | |
| 18 | tuya Plural: tuyas. Common in reproaches: ¡La culpa es tuya! (It's your fault!) | yours, of yours (informal, feminine singular) | Una compañera tuya me lo contó. A classmate of yours told me. | |
| 19 | suyo Plural: suyos. As ambiguous as su, so speakers often say de él, de ella, de usted instead. | his, hers, theirs, yours (formal) — masculine singular | El error no fue suyo. The mistake wasn't his/hers/theirs. | |
| 20 | suya Plural: suyas. With usted this is the polite way to ask 'is this yours?' | his, hers, theirs, yours (formal) — feminine singular | Señora, ¿esta mochila es suya? Ma'am, is this backpack yours? |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- What is the difference between mi and mío?
- Mi goes before the noun: mi coche (my car). Mío goes after the noun or after the verb ser, and it agrees in gender and number: un coche mío (a car of mine), ese coche es mío (that car is mine). Never say mío coche, and never mi coche mío.
- Do Spanish possessives agree with the owner or with the thing owned?
- With the thing owned. Su hermana can mean his, her, their or your sister — the -a comes from hermana, not from the owner. Mi, tu and su change only for number (mis, tus, sus), while nuestro and vuestro change for gender too: nuestra casa, nuestros hijos.
- How do I avoid confusion with su and sus?
- Add or replace with a de phrase: instead of su casa, say la casa de él, la casa de ella, la casa de ellos or la casa de usted. Native speakers do this constantly whenever the context does not already make the owner clear.
- Is vuestro used in Latin America?
- No. Vuestro, vuestra, vuestros and vuestras go with vosotros, which is standard in Spain only. In Latin America the plural 'you' is ustedes, so the possessive is su/sus: ¿Dónde está su hotel? (Where is your hotel?, to a group). Still learn to recognise vuestro when reading or watching Spanish media.
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