7.3. Adjectives in Spanish: Possessive Adjectives in Spanish

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Possessive adjectives in Spanish are an essential part of the grammar and vocabulary that every intermediate level student should master. They are used to indicate possession or ownership of an object or person and are often used in everyday conversation. In Spanish, possessive adjectives agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they modify, unlike in English where they agree with the possessor.

The possessive adjectives in Spanish are: mi (my), tu (yours), su (yours, hers, his), nuestro (ours), vuestro (yours), su (yours, theirs, theirs). Each of these adjectives has a feminine and plural form, for example, mi has the forms: mi (my), mis (my), mi (mine), mis (mine).

Possessive adjectives are placed before the noun they modify. For example, "Mi libro" (My book), "Tu casa" (Your house), "Su coche" (Your car). However, when we want to emphasize possession, we can place the possessive adjective after the noun: "El libro mío" (My book), "La casa tuya" (Your house), "El coche suyo" (His car) .

It is important to note that "su" and "sus" can be used to refer to "your", "your", "his", "her", "their" and "their". The context usually makes it clear who the speaker is referring to. However, to avoid confusion, especially in formal writing situations, we can use "de él", "de ella", "de ellos" and "de ellas" instead of "su" and "sus".

Possessive adjectives are also used to express family relationships. For example, "mi madre" (my mother), "tu hermano" (your brother), "su abuela" (your grandmother). Note that we don't use definite articles before possessive adjectives when talking about family relationships in the singular, but we do in the plural. For example, "mis hermanos" (my brothers), "tus abuelas" (your grandmothers), "sus madres" (your mothers).

Possessive adjectives are also used with body parts and clothing. For example, "mi brazo" (my arm), "tu Camisa" (your shirt), "su pantalón" (your pants).

In short, possessive adjectives are an important grammatical tool in Spanish that allow you to express possession or ownership. They agree in gender and number with the noun they modify and are placed before the noun. However, to emphasize ownership, we can place them after the noun. "Su" and "sus" can be used to refer to multiple people, but we can use "de él", "de ella", "de ellos" and "de ellas" to avoid confusion. Possessive adjectives are often used to express family relationships, body parts, and clothing.

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837.4. Adjectives in Spanish: Degrees of Adjectives in Spanish