Last Updated on June 17, 2026 by I Love Spanish Club
Possessive adjectives in Spanish are words that indicate ownership — they tell you whose something is. Mastering them is essential for everyday communication: talking about your family, your belongings, your plans. In this complete guide you’ll learn all Spanish possessive adjectives with charts, rules, real examples, common mistakes, and practice exercises. ¡Empecemos!
🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Possessive adjectives go before the noun
✅ They agree with the noun in gender and number — not with the owner
✅ No article needed with possessive adjectives (mi casa, not ~~la mi casa~~)
✅ Su is the trickiest — it means his/her/your/their depending on context
📋 Complete Possessive Adjective Chart
| Person | Singular noun | Plural noun | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | mi | mis | my |
| Tú (you informal) | tu | tus | your (singular informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | su | sus | his / her / your (formal) |
| Nosotros | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras | our |
| Vosotros | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras | your (plural Spain) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | su | sus | their / your (plural formal) |
💡 Important: Mi, tu, su and mis, tus, sus only change for singular/plural. But nuestro and vuestro also change for gender: nuestro libro / nuestra casa / nuestros libros / nuestras casas.
📐 Possessive Adjectives — Full Agreement Table
| Adjective | Masc. Singular | Fem. Singular | Masc. Plural | Fem. Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mi (my) | mi libro | mi casa | mis libros | mis casas |
| Tu (your) | tu coche | tu amiga | tus coches | tus amigas |
| Su (his/her/their/your) | su perro | su gata | sus perros | sus gatas |
| Nuestro (our) | nuestro perro | nuestra casa | nuestros perros | nuestras casas |
📏 Rules for Using Possessive Adjectives
1. They agree with the noun, not the owner. This is different from French or Italian! Mi libro (my book — masculine because libro is masculine), mi casa (my house — feminine because casa is feminine). Whether the owner is male or female doesn’t matter.
2. They go BEFORE the noun. Always: mi casa, tu amigo, nuestros hijos. Never after.
3. No article needed. ❌ ~~la mi casa~~ → ✅ mi casa. The possessive already includes the definiteness — no article required.
4. Su/Sus is context-dependent. Su libro can mean his book, her book, your (formal) book, or their book. Context makes it clear. If clarification is needed, add de + pronoun: el libro de él (his book) / el libro de ellos (their book).
💬 Real Conversation Examples
📍 Talking about family
Ana: ¿Cómo está tu familia?
How is your family?
Tom: Bien, gracias. Mis padres viven en Londres y mi hermana acaba de tener su primer hijo.
Good, thanks. My parents live in London and my sister just had her first child.
Ana: ¡Qué bonito! ¿Y cómo se llama su bebé?
How lovely! And what is her baby’s name?
Tom: Se llama Emma. Nuestros abuelos están muy felices.
Her name is Emma. Our grandparents are very happy.
Notice how possessive adjectives flow naturally throughout — tu familia, mis padres, mi hermana, su bebé, nuestros abuelos. Family conversations are one of the first real contexts where you’ll need all these forms together. A native tutor on Italki can hold a genuine family-talk conversation with you, prompting you to use all the different possessives naturally.
⚠️ Common Mistakes English Speakers Make
❌ Using the definite article with possessives
❌ ~~la mi casa~~ → ✅ mi casa
❌ ~~el tu libro~~ → ✅ tu libro
The possessive already replaces the article — never use both!
❌ Making “mi/tu” agree with the owner’s gender
❌ A female saying ~~mia libro~~ → ✅ mi libro (always the same regardless of the speaker’s gender). Gender agreement follows the noun, not the owner.
❌ Confusing “tu” (your) and “tú” (you)
tu libro (no accent) = your book. tú hablas (with accent) = you speak. The accent mark is the only difference — and it matters!
❌ Forgetting that “nuestro” changes for gender
❌ ~~nuestra libro~~ → ✅ nuestro libro (masculine) / ✅ nuestra casa (feminine). Unlike mi/tu/su which never change for gender, nuestro/vuestra do change.
✏️ Practice Exercise
Fill in with the correct possessive adjective:
- Ella tiene un perro. _____ perro se llama Max. (her)
- Nosotros vivimos en una casa grande. _____ casa tiene jardín. (our)
- Yo tengo dos hermanos. _____ hermanos viven en Colombia. (my)
- ¿Tienes tus llaves? — No, no encuentro _____ llaves. (my)
- Ellos viajan con sus hijos. _____ hijos son muy pequeños. (their)
✅ Show Answers
- Su perro se llama Max.
- Nuestra casa tiene jardín.
- Mis hermanos viven en Colombia.
- No encuentro mis llaves.
- Sus hijos son muy pequeños.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why does “nuestro” change for gender but “mi” and “tu” don’t?
Mi, tu, su have only two forms (singular/plural). Nuestro and vuestro have four forms (masculine/feminine × singular/plural) because they end in -o/-a. It’s the same pattern as regular adjectives: nuestro libro / nuestra casa / nuestros libros / nuestras casas.
How do I clarify whose something is when “su” is ambiguous?
Add de + pronoun after the noun: el libro de él (his book), el libro de ella (her book), el libro de ellos (their book), el libro de usted (your book — formal). This completely removes the ambiguity.
What’s the best way to practice possessive adjectives?
Describe your own life — your house, your family, your daily routine. Mi mamá se llama…, mis amigos viven en…, nuestra clase empieza a las… The more you talk about real things that belong to you, the faster these forms become automatic. Watching telenovelas or family shows on LingoPie exposes you to possessives constantly in natural family dialogue.