Possessive adjectives and pronouns in Spanish: Examples and exercises

If you are planning a trip to Spain, learning the language is one of the most important things. Imagine, for example, that you lose your wallet. What would you do? How would you tell the police or ask for help? In this article, we will explain the different ways of expressing possession with possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives in Spanish. Keep reading! 

WHAT IS A “POSSESSIVE PRONOUN”?

To express belonging in Spanish we can use possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns, but do you know when should we use each of them? Don’t worry! We are going to help you! 

As we can tell by the name, a possessive pronoun is used to indicate possession and other relations with people, objects, family, places, etc. But they are never followed by a noun, a name, or a subject. 

Examples: 

The article is mine // El artículo es mío.
My son is at home, and yours? // Mi hijo está en casa, ¿y el vuestro? 

Is this your jacket? No, it’s hers // ¿Es tuya la chaqueta? No, es suya. 

The ring that has been lost is mine // El anillo que se ha perdido es el mío. 

EXCEPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS

• The possessive pronoun always matches the noun, the person or the object we are talking about.
  The problem is mine (masculine, singular). // El problema es mío (masculino, singular).
  The leftovers are hers (feminine, plural). // Las sobras son suyas (femenino, plural).

• To express belonging, we normally use the verb “ser” + the possessive pronoun.
  The seat is not yours. // El asiento no es tuyo.
  The T-shirt is his. // La camiseta es suya. 

• We use “el”, “la”, “los” and “las” + possessive pronoun when it is not necessary to
  repeat the noun or the word again.
  + My uncle bought me a moto. // Mi tío me ha regalado una moto.
  – Mine a car. // Pues el mío un coche.
  
  + My friend is late // Mi amiga llega tarde.
  – Mine too // La mía también.
  
  + Which team won? // ¿Qué equipo ha ganado?
  – Ours // El nuestro. 

• We use the following structure to talk about something or someone as part of the group: “un”, “una”, “unos”, “unas”, “dos”, “tres”, etc + noun + possessive pronoun.
  Two of my friends saw him // Le vieron dos amigas mías.
  One of your coworkers told me // Una compañera tuya me lo contó. 

• When we want to ask a question related to the belonging we use ¿“De quién”…?
  Whose car is this? Hers // ¿De quién es esta casa? Suya.
  Do you know whose tickets are these? Theirs // ¿Sabes de quién son estos billetes? Suyos. 

• To talk about an indeterminate number of people or things, we use the following structure: Noun + Possessive pronoun.
  Some of my friends have recommended me the movie // Amigos míos me han recomendado la película.
  Some members of his family came to the event // Familiares suyos asistieron al evento.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES IN SPANISH

The second way of expressing possession and belonging in Spanish is by using possessive adjectives. It is easy to understand both types, but you must remember the difference. 

Possessive adjectives accompany the nouns while possessive pronouns substitute them. They are also used to indicate possession and other relations with people, objects, family, places, etc.
For this reason, the correct structure of the sentence is possessive adjective + noun.

Examples:
– My dog is called Max // Mi perro se llama Max.

– I saw your friend yesterday // Ayer vi a tu amiga. 

– Our house is flooded // Nuestra casa se ha inundado.
– Who is your boyfriend? //¿Quién es tu novio?

EXCEPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS

• When we are talking about clothes, parts of the body, and personal objects, we use an article instead of a possessive adjective.
  I have stomach ache // Me duele mi tripa (incorrect) – Me duele la tripa (correct)
  Your sock is showing // Se te ve tu calcetín (incorrect) – Se te ve el calcetín (correct)
  I painted my lips // Me he pintado mis labios (incorrect) – Me he pintado los labios (correct)
  
  However, sometimes you can use either of them because both forms are correct.
  I’ve lost my wallet // He perdido mi cartera – He perdido la cartera
  You left the earrings from the wedding // Te has dejado tus pendientes para la boda – Te has dejado los pendientes para la boda
• We use an article and the possessive adjective to express a particular idea or concept. Structure: “el”, “la”, “los”, “las” + possessive adjective.
  My thing is quality cuisine, gourmet cuisine // Lo mío es la cocina de calidad, la cocina gourmet.
  It cost him his. // Le costó lo suyo.
  Oh my! You took your time! // ¡Madre mía! ¡Has tardado lo tuyo!
  I don’t see a solution to our relationship. // No veo solución a lo nuestro. 

• The possessive adjective always matches the word that accompanies (masculine or feminine, singular or plural). How can we tell when to use them? The context will tell us. We need to understand the rest of the sentence to understand who or what is the other person talking about.
  I saw my sister’s boyfriend in his car yesterday. // Ayer vi al novio de mi hermana en su coche. (Whose car?).
  Juan and his grandsons // Juan y sus nietos. (masculino, plural)
  My friend fell this morning // Mi amiga se ha caído esta mañana. (femenino, singular). 

PRACTICE AND MASTER THE POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES IN SPANISH!

We know it can be hard at first to choose possessives in Spanish, but it is very easy once you understand the main structures and the context. So don’t worry about it and keep studying! 

To sum up, the difference between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives in Spanish is that the possessive pronouns never accompany a noun, and the possessive adjectives always do. As we have seen, there are some exceptions and basic rules to follow, but the best way to learn is by practicing them. We will help you to learn Spanish and to learn how to use possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives correctly!

Now that you know everything about possessives in Spanish, discover this list of Spanish adjectives to describe people.

EXERCISES

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