Possessives and the Definite Article
In European Portuguese, possessives like "my", "your", and "our" agree in gender and number with the object being owned, not the owner. They are also almost always preceded by a definite article (o, a, os, as).
| English | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| my | o meu | a minha |
| your (informal) | o teu | a tua |
| our | o nosso | a nossa |
My (o meu, a minha)
| My car is new. | O meu carro é novo. |
| Where is my computer? | Onde está o meu computador? |
When a possessive phrase follows a preposition like em (in/on/at), the preposition merges with the definite article exactly as it normally does (e.g., em + o = no).
| My money is in my pocket. | O meu dinheiro está no meu bolso. |
Your (o teu, a tua)
Use o teu and a tua when speaking to someone informally (someone you would address as tu).
| Your son is tall. | O teu filho é alto. |
| Your house is big. | A tua casa é grande. |
| Do you speak with your daughter? | Falas com a tua filha? |
Our (o nosso, a nossa)
Remember, the gender of the possessive matches the noun being owned, regardless of the gender of the owners.
| Our family lives in Lisbon. | A nossa família mora em Lisboa. |
| Our son studies English. | O nosso filho estuda inglês. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io