Short-Form Possessives (Mi, Tu, Su) | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Short-form possessives are the everyday way to say my book, your sister, our house in Spanish. They always appear before the noun, and like all determiners they agree with the noun they modify — though most of them only change for number, not gender.

These are among the very first words you learn in Spanish, and they pop up in nearly every conversation. The good news is that they are remarkably simple compared to other Spanish word classes — there are only a handful of forms to memorize.

The Full Set

Person	Singular noun	Plural noun	Meaning
yo	mi	mis	my
tú	tu	tus	your (informal)
él / ella / usted	su	sus	his / her / your (formal)
nosotros	nuestro / nuestra	nuestros / nuestras	our
vosotros	vuestro / vuestra	vuestros / vuestras	your (Spain only)
ellos / ellas / ustedes	su	sus	their / your (plural)

In Latin America, the vosotros forms (vuestro, vuestra) are essentially never used in speech. For plural "your", Latin Americans say su / sus (the same form as their).

Agreement with the Thing Possessed

This is the trickiest idea for English speakers: a Spanish possessive agrees with the thing being owned, not with the owner. Mi casa and mis casas both belong to me — the change is about whether there is one house or several.

Mi perro se llama Luna.

My dog is called Luna.

Mis perros se llaman Luna y Sol.

My dogs are called Luna and Sol.

The possessor (yo) is the same in both sentences; only the noun changed from singular to plural, so mi became mis.

Mi, Tu, Su — Number Only

Mi, tu, and su never change for gender. They use the same form for masculine and feminine nouns; only the number (singular vs plural) changes.

Tu hermano y tu hermana son muy amables.

Your brother and your sister are very kind.

Su abuelo vive en Monterrey.

His/her grandfather lives in Monterrey.

Nuestro — All Four Forms

Nuestro is the only Latin American short form that changes for both gender and number. It has four possibilities: nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras.

Nuestra maestra es de Colombia.

Our teacher (f) is from Colombia.

Nuestros vecinos son muy ruidosos.

Our neighbors are very noisy.

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The fact that the possessive copies the noun, not the owner, takes a few weeks to feel automatic. Try to think of the noun, not of yourself, when picking the form.

Short Forms Replace the Article

When you use a possessive, you don't use an article in front of it. It is one or the other, never both.

Mi libro está aquí.

My book is here.

You cannot say el mi libro — that stacks two determiners, which Spanish doesn't allow. For the book is mine, use a long form: el libro es mío.

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Don't confuse tu (your) with tú (you). The accent changes the meaning entirely. Tu casa = your house; tú casa would not be a complete phrase. The same goes for mi vs. mí (me).

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In Latin America, when you need plural your, simply use sus: ¿Sus hijos están bien? works for "are your (all) children okay?" as much as for "are their children okay?" — context makes it clear.

Common Patterns and Phrases

Short forms appear in countless everyday phrases — about family members, body parts, possessions, and relationships:

Mi mamá es de Guadalajara.

My mom is from Guadalajara.

¿Dónde está tu mochila?

Where is your backpack?

Sus padres viven en el campo.

His/her/their parents live in the countryside.

Nuestra escuela queda cerca.

Our school is close by.

Mis hermanos y yo vamos al cine los viernes.

My brothers and I go to the movies on Fridays.

A Quick Comparison

Here's how short forms line up with their long-form counterparts:

Short (before noun)	Long (after noun or after ser)
mi casa	la casa mía / la casa es mía
tu hermano	el hermano tuyo / es tuyo
su perro	el perro suyo / es suyo
nuestros amigos	los amigos nuestros / son nuestros

The short form is what you reach for 90% of the time. Long forms appear in special positions (after the noun, after ser, in vocatives), but the basic possessive workhorse is always mi, tu, su, nuestro.

If you need to emphasize the possessor or avoid ambiguity with su, see Long-Form Possessives and Disambiguating Su. For the article-plus-long-form pattern that creates standalone pronouns like el mío, see Possessive Pronouns.