Notes on Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns in Spanish
Objective
- Understanding and using possessive adjectives and pronouns.
Key Concepts
Possessive Adjectives
- Definition: Show personal relationships or possession.
- Forms:
- Short-form: mi(s), tu(s), su(s), nuestro(a/os/as), vuestro(a/os/as).
- Long-form: More expressive; follows the noun it describes.
Usage
- Short-form Examples:
- mi libro (my book)
- mis libros (my books)
- tu libro (your book)
- sus cuadernos (his/her notebooks)
- nuestro cuaderno (our notebook)
Long-form Possessive Adjectives
- Forms:
- Singular: mío(a), tuyo(a), suyo(a), nuestro(a), vuestro(a).
- Plural: míos(as), tuyos(as), suyos(as), nuestros(as), vuestros(as).
- Usage: Used for emphasis, following the noun.
- Example: "un amigo mío" (a friend of mine).
Possessive Pronouns
- Definition: Also show personal relationships, replace nouns.
- Formation:
- Use the long form of the possessive adjective.
- Add el, la, los, las according to gender and number.
- Example:
- "Los libros son de Armando, son suyos" (The books belong to Armando, they are his).
Guide to Forming Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns
Short-form:
- yo: mi (my), mis (my)
- tú: tu (your), tus (your)
- él/ella/usted: su (his/her), sus (his/her)
- nosotros/nosotras: nuestro(s), nuestra(s) (our)
- vosotros: vuestro(s), vuestra(s) (your)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: su (their), sus (their).
Long-form:
- mío (my), mía; tuyos (yours), tuya; suyo (his/hers), suya;
nuestro (ours), nuestra; vuestro (yours), vuestra.
- mío (my), mía; tuyos (yours), tuya; suyo (his/hers), suya;
Placement:
- Short-form precedes the noun.
- Long-form follows the noun and requires an article (el, la, los, las).
Examples of Long-form Possessive Adjectives
- "Esta es mi silla y esa es tuya" (This is my chair and that one is yours).
- "Los carros son de Ramira, son suyos" (The cars belong to Ramira, they are hers).
Practice Sentences
Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive adjectives or pronouns:
- "Esta es mi calculadora. La calculadora es mía".
- "El celular es de Karina. Es suyo".
- "Estos son mis libros. Los libros son míos".
- "Ellos son nuestros amigos. Son amigos nuestros".
- "Los patines son de Lucía. Los patines son suyos".
- "El reloj es de mi abuelo. El reloj es suyo".
- "La moto es de la profesora. La moto es suya".
- "Estos son tus perros. Son tuyos".
Vocabulary Related to Personal Reactions
- aburrirse: to get bored
- asustarse de: to be scared of
- cansarse: to get tired
- darse cuenta de: to realize
- disculparse: to apologize
- divertirse: to enjoy oneself
- enojarse con: to get angry with
- portarse bien/mal: to behave well/badly
- preocuparse por: to be worried about
- reírse: to laugh
- sentirse: to feel
- sonreírse: to smile
Vocabulary Related to Family Relationships
- la amistad: friendship
- el bebé: baby
- el bisabuelo/a: great-grandfather/grandmother
- el cuñado/a: brother-in-law/sister-in-law
- los gemelos/as: twins
- el hermanastro/a: stepbrother/stepsister
- la madrastra: stepmother
- el novio/a: boyfriend/girlfriend
- el padrastro: stepfather
- el pariente/a: relative
- rico/a: rich
- sobrino/a: nephew/niece
Vocabulary Descriptions and Expressions
- a veces: sometimes
- amable: nice
- animado/a: lively
- impaciente: impatient
- obediente: obedient
- sociable: sociable
- tímido/a: shy