Mi, tu, su
How to say that something belongs to someone: my, your, his, her…
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What are possessives?
They show who something belongs to, or who someone is related to.
Only three pairs
| Owner | One thing | Two or more things | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | mi padre | mis hermanos | my |
| tú | tu padre | tus hermanos | your |
| él / ella / usted | su padre | sus hermanos | his / her / your (formal) |
The trick: just add -s
Plural thing → add -s. Masculine or feminine → no change.
Masculine or feminine: same word
mi padre · mi madre
One or many: add -s
mi hermano · mis hermanos
English my never changes: my brother · my brothers. Spanish does.
Count the things, not the owners
This is the most important idea of the lesson.
English and Spanish look at different things
English looks at the owner
Is the owner a man or a woman?
his father · her father
Spanish looks at the thing
Is it one thing or more than one?
su padre · sus padres
Look at these examples
| Sentence | Owners | Things | Possessive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara vive con su padre. | 1 | 1 | su |
| Sara vive con sus padres. | 1 | 2 | sus |
| Juan y Pedro tienen un coche: su coche. | 2 | 1 | su |
| Ana tiene dos perros: sus perros. | 1 | 2 | sus |
Only the Things column decides: 1 → su, 2 or more → sus.
Su has many meanings
The context tells you who the owner is.
tu or tú?
tú (with an accent) = you
Tú eres mi amigo.
You are my friend.
tu (no accent) = your
¿Cómo se llama tu hermano?
What is your brother's name?
In English they are also two different words: you and your.
No article before mi, tu, su
Just like English: you can't say the my cousin.
Our and your (plural)
These two also change for masculine and feminine.
| Owner | masc. sing. | fem. sing. | masc. plural | fem. plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nosotros | nuestro | nuestra | nuestros | nuestras | our |
| vosotros | vuestro | vuestra | vuestros | vuestras | your (plural) |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | su | sus | their / your | ||
nuestra madre · nuestros hijos
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| mi hermano | one thing | |
| sus padres | two things | |
| Ellas y su madre | count the things, not the owners | |
| tu libro | tu = your | |
| mi libro | no article |
Practice
Write your answer and press Check. Press Enter to go to the next gap.
If your keyboard has no accents, use the á é í ó ú ñ buttons.
Show your family
Show a photo of your family (or draw your family tree). Present them to your partner. Then your partner presents your family to the class.
Esta es mi madre. Estos son mis hermanos.
Esta es su madre. Estos son sus hermanos.