Possessive pronouns in Spanish: A complete guide

Possessive pronouns 💁 are essential in Spanish for expressing ownership or belonging. In this post, you’ll learn what they are, how to use them, and see practical examples that will help you incorporate them into your everyday conversations. Let’s dive in! 🌟

What are possessive pronouns? 🤔

Possessive pronouns in Spanish replace a noun to show ownership or belonging. They answer questions such as Whose is it? or Who does it belong to?

For example:

Esta casa es mía. (This house is mine 🏠)

Ese coche es suyo. (That car is his/hers/yours 🚗)

🔑 Key point:

Possessive pronouns replace the noun instead of describing it.

List of possessive pronouns in Spanish 📚

Here’s a table with possessive pronouns in Spanish, organised by person, gender, and number:

PERSON	SINGULAR	PLURAL	EXAMPLE
First person	mío/mía	míos/mías	Este libro es mío. (This book is mine.) 📖
Second person	tuyo/tuya	tuyos/tuyas	Las llaves son tuyas. (The keys are yours.) 🔑
Third person	suyo/suya	suyos/suyas	El coche es suyo. (The car is his/hers/yours.) 🚗
First plural	nuestro/nuestra	nuestros/nuestras	La casa es nuestra. (The house is ours.) 🏠
Second plural	vuestro/vuestra	vuestros/vuestras	El perro es vuestro. (The dog is yours.) 🐶
Third plural	suyo/suya	suyos/suyas	Los amigos son suyos. (The friends are theirs.) 👥

How to use possessive pronouns

Basic rules:

1. Agreement in gender and number:
   The pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it replaces.
   
   La mochila es mía. (The backpack is mine. – feminine, singular)  🎒
   Los cuadernos son míos. (The notebooks are mine. – masculine, plural) 📚
   
   
2. Commonly used with the verb "ser":
   Possessive pronouns are often used after the verb ser (to be).
   
   ¿De quién es esta camisa? Es tuya. (Whose shirt is this? It’s yours) 👕
   
   
3. Avoid repetition:
   Use possessive pronouns to avoid repeating the noun.
   
   Instead of: Esa es la casa de Ana.
   Say: Esa casa es suya. (That house is hers)

Difference between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives

Possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives often confuse learners because they both indicate ownership. However, their roles are quite different:

Let's practice ✍🏻: 

Share your own examples in the comments below, and let us know if you have questions. We’re here to help you improve your Spanish! 😊👇🏻