Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Possessive Pronouns

To say "mine," "yours," or "theirs" without repeating the noun, use a possessive pronoun. Just pair a definite article (el, la, los, las) with a possessive word.

The pronoun must match the item being owned in both gender and number, not the owner!

MeaningMasculine SingularFeminine SingularMasculine PluralFeminine Plural
mineel míola míalos míoslas mías
yours (informal)el tuyola tuyalos tuyoslas tuyas
his, hers, theirs, yours (formal)el suyola suyalos suyoslas suyas
oursel nuestrola nuestralos nuestroslas nuestras
This umbrella is not mine.
Este paraguas no es el mío.
The blue cap is mine.
La gorra azul es la mía.
You always mix up my gloves with yours.
Tú siempre confundes mis guantes con los tuyos.

The Many Meanings of "Suyo"

El suyo (and its other forms) can mean "his," "hers," "theirs," or "yours" (formal). You will usually rely on context to know who the owner is.

The black umbrella is his.
El paraguas negro es el suyo.
Are those gloves theirs?
¿Esos guantes son los suyos?

"Nuestro"

The pronoun for "ours" (el nuestro, la nuestra, etc.) looks exactly like the adjective form, just with an article in front.

The boy forgets his cap, but we take ours.
El niño olvida su gorra, pero nosotros llevamos la nuestra.