Spanish Possessive Adjectives and Expressions of Possession

Possessive Adjectives and Possession in Spanish

Possessive Adjectives: Forms and Usage

• Unstressed Possessive Adjectives
  • Agree in number and gender with the noun they modify (the possessed item), except for mi, tu, and su, which only agree in number.
  • Two-form adjectives (agree only in number): mi, tu, su (singular) and nuestro, vuestro, su (plural).
  • Four-form adjectives (agree in number and gender): nuestro/a/os/as, vuestro/a/os/as.

Forms

• Singular possessors:
  • Yo (I): mi (singular), mis (plural)
  • Tú (You, familiar): tu (singular), tus (plural)
  • Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You, formal): su (singular), sus (plural)
• Plural possessors:
  • Nosotros/Nosotras (We): nuestro/nuestra (singular), nuestros/nuestras (plural)
  • Vosotros/Vosotras (You, familiar plural): vuestro/vuestra (singular), vuestros/vuestras (plural)
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You, formal plural): su (singular), sus (plural)

Examples

• Nosotros tenemos nuestras bicicletas. (We have our bicycles.)
• Vosotros tenéis vuestras maletas. (You have your suitcases - familiar plural.)
• Ustedes tienen sus frutas. (You have your fruits - formal plural.)
• Ellos tienen sus casas. (They (masc.) have their houses.)
• Ellas tienen sus computadoras. (They (fem.) have their computers.)

Prepositional Forms for Clarification or Emphasis

• To avoid ambiguity or add emphasis, possessive adjectives can be accompanied or replaced by prepositional phrases using de.
• Forms:
  • de mí (of me)
  • de ti (of you, familiar)
  • de él (of him)
  • de ella (of her)
  • de usted (of you, formal)
  • de nosotros/as (of us)
  • de vosotros/as (of you, familiar plural)
  • de ellos/as (of them)
  • de ustedes (of you, formal plural)

Example of Ambiguity and Clarification

• Scenario: Steven can't find the Spanish book, and Alice doesn't have the algebra book.
• Teacher's initial answer (potentially confusing): Su libro está en la mochila, y su libro está en mi escritorio. (His/Her/Your book is in the backpack, and his/her/your book is on my desk.)
• Clarified answer: El libro de él (de Steven) está en la mochila, y el libro de ella (de Alice) está en mi escritorio. (His (Steven's) book is in the backpack, and her (Alice's) book is on my desk.)

Expressing Possession with "de + noun"

• The construction de + noun indicates possession.
• Format: definite article + thing possessed + de + possessor.
• Example: El libro de Raúl es interesante. (Raúl’s book is interesting.)
• Note: Do not use apostrophes to express possession in Spanish.

Contraction of "de + el"

• de + el contracts to del.
• Example: Es la pluma del profesor Gómez. (It is Professor Gómez's pen.)
• Do not combine de and él (him). Example: ¿La pluma es de ella? No, es la pluma de él. (Is the pen hers? No, it's his.)

Oral Link (Enlace)

• The oral link or 'enlace' between 'de' and 'el' is reflected in the written merging of the two to form 'del'.