Possessive determiners are words like "my", "your", and "our" that indicate who owns what. In Spanish, these words must agree with the noun that is possessed, not the person who owns it.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| yo (my) | mi | mis |
| tú (your) | tu | tus |
| él / ella / usted (his, her, your) | su | sus |
| nosotros / nosotras (our) | nuestro(a) | nuestros(as) |
| vosotros / vosotras (your plural) | vuestro(a) | vuestros(as) |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes (their, your) | su | sus |
mi, tu, and su
The possessives mi, tu, and su only change to match the number of the noun they describe. If the noun that follows them is singular, use the base form. If the noun is plural, add an -s (mis, tus, sus). The gender of the noun does not matter for these three.
Also note that su and sus have multiple meanings: "his", "her", "your" (formal), and "their". You will usually know which one is meant from the surrounding context.
| My father is tall. | Mi padre es alto. |
| Where is your mother? | ¿Dónde está tu madre? |
| His son is young. | Su hijo es joven. |
| Their parents are very nice. | Sus padres son muy simpáticos. |
| Her daughters study Spanish. | Sus hijas estudian español. |
nuestro and vuestro
Unlike the other possessives, nuestro (our) and vuestro (your plural, used in Spain) must agree in both gender and number with the noun they describe.
- Use -o for masculine singular nouns and -a for feminine singular nouns.
- Add an -s if the noun is plural.
| Our daughter lives in the city. | Nuestra hija vive en la ciudad. |
| Your (plural) grandfather has a new car. | Vuestro abuelo tiene un coche nuevo. |
| Our grandparents are not angry. | Nuestros abuelos no están enfadados. |
| Does your (plural) mother live with your (plural) grandmother? | ¿Vuestra madre vive con vuestra abuela? |