Breakdown of Mi hermana necesita su vestido.
la hermana
the sister
necesitar
to need
mi
my
su
his/her/its/their/your (formal)
el vestido
the dress
Questions & Answers about Mi hermana necesita su vestido.
Since mi hermana is a woman, why doesn't su change to be feminine?
In Spanish, possessive adjectives like su don't change based on the gender of the owner like they do in English (his vs. her). Su can mean "his," "her," "your," or "their." Instead, they only change to match the number (singular or plural) of the thing being owned.
If multiple sisters shared the dress, would it become sus vestido?
No, it would still be su vestido. This is a common trap for English speakers! Possessive adjectives match the item being owned, not the people who own it. Because there is only one dress (vestido), you use the singular su, no matter how many sisters there are. You only use sus if there are multiple dresses (sus vestidos).
Why does mi not end in an "a" to match the feminine word hermana?
Why isn't there a "personal a" before su vestido?
The "personal a" is only used when the object of the verb is a person or a specific pet. Since the thing your sister needs is a dress (vestido), which is an inanimate object, no "a" is needed after the verb necesita.
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