Possessive words identify whose person or thing you are talking about. Their form depends on the following noun.

The idea

Before a noun, use mi/mis for my, tu/tus for your and su/sus for his, her, their or formal your. Use nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras for our, matching the noun’s gender and number: nuestra casa, nuestros amigos.

Examples

  • Mi hermano vive en Lima.My brother lives in Lima.
  • Mis llaves están aquí.My keys are here.
  • ¿Dónde está tu mochila?Where is your backpack?
  • Sus hijos estudian música.Their children study music.
  • Nuestra casa tiene un jardín.Our house has a garden.
  • Nuestros amigos llegan mañana.Our friends arrive tomorrow.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Su and sus can refer to several different owners; context tells you whose. Mi and mis change for number but do not change for the noun’s gender.

Try it yourself

  1. ___ llaves están aquí. (Mis / Mi)

    Show answer or example answer

    Mis

    Llaves is plural, so the form is mis.

  2. ¿Dónde está ___ mochila? (tu / tus)

    Show answer or example answer

    tu

    Mochila is singular, so choose tu.

  3. ___ casa tiene jardín. (Nuestra / Nuestro)

    Show answer or example answer

    Nuestra

    Casa is feminine singular, so use nuestra.

Use it today

Describe your home and your keys, then write a sentence about our friends. Check whether each noun is singular or plural.