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The possessive determiner and the demonstrative determiner come before the noun and agree with it; they are used with no article. The possessive shows whose the thing is, the demonstrative where it is in relation to the speakers.
Possessive determiners: mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro#
Formation
The possessive determiner (often called the possessive adjective) is placed before the noun, with no article. Mi, tu and su agree in number with the thing owned, not with the owner; they have no feminine form. Nuestro and vuestro agree in gender and number.
| Singular noun | Plural noun | |
|---|---|---|
| my | mi | mis |
| your (tú) | tu | tus |
| his, her, its; your (usted) | su | sus |
| our | nuestro, nuestra | nuestros, nuestras |
| your (vosotros) | vuestro, vuestra | vuestros, vuestras |
| their; your (ustedes) | su | sus |
Use
Su and sus stand for a third-person owner, singular or plural, and for the person addressed as usted or ustedes: su casa means “his house”, “her house”, “their house” or “your house”. The situation shows who the owner is. The possessive tu is written without an accent; tú, with an accent, is the subject pronoun.
- Mi hermana vive en Granada.My sister lives in Granada.
- ¿Dónde están tus zapatos?Where are your shoes?
- Ana y Pedro limpian su coche.Ana and Pedro are cleaning their car.
- Nuestra profesora es de México.Our teacher is from Mexico.
- Señor Ruiz, ¿es su bolsa?Mr Ruiz, is this your bag?
Difference from English
In English, “his”, “her” or “their” depends on the owner; Spanish su covers them all, and also the polite “your”. The ending agrees with the thing owned: “their car” is su coche, one car, and “his shoes” sus zapatos, several shoes. Nuestro and vuestro also agree in gender, with the thing owned: “our house” is nuestra casa, whoever “we” are.
Common mistakes
sus coche→ su coche“Their car”: su agrees with coche, the thing owned, not with the owners.nuestro casa→ nuestra casaNuestro agrees in gender with the feminine noun casa.la mi casa→ mi casaThe possessive takes no article.
Practise
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Demonstratives: este, ese, aquel; esto, eso, aquello#
Formation
The demonstrative determiner is placed before the noun, with no article, and agrees with it in gender and number. It has three sets, according to distance.
| Near the speaker | Near the person spoken to | Far from both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | este | ese | aquel |
| feminine singular | esta | esa | aquella |
| masculine plural | estos | esos | aquellos |
| feminine plural | estas | esas | aquellas |
| neuter | esto | eso | aquello |
Use
Este refers to what is near the speaker, ese to what is near the person spoken to, aquel to what is far from both; the three sets match the adverbs aquí, ahí and allí. The masculine and feminine forms are also used alone, in place of the noun: Esta es mi casa. They are written without an accent. The neuter forms esto, eso and aquello are never used before a noun: they refer to a thing not named or to a whole situation (¿Qué es esto?). For a person, the masculine or feminine form is used: ¿Quién es esa chica?
With a word of time, este refers to the present: este año, esta semana, esta noche.
- Este bolígrafo no escribe.This pen doesn't write.
- ¿Es nueva esa chaqueta?Is that jacket new?
- Aquellas casas son muy viejas.Those houses over there are very old.
- ¿Qué es eso? — Es un reloj.What's that? — It's a watch.
- Esta semana mi padre trabaja en casa.This week my father is working at home.
Difference from English
English has two sets, “this, these” and “that, those”; Spanish has three, and “that” is ese or aquel depending on the distance. Each form also agrees in gender: “these books” is estos libros, “these flowers” estas flores. “This” and “that” for a thing not named are esto and eso, but before a noun or for a person the masculine or feminine form is used: este libro, ¿Quién es ese?
Common mistakes
esto libro→ este libroBefore a noun, the masculine form is este; esto is never followed by a noun.estos casas→ estas casasCasa is feminine: estas.¿Quién es eso?→ ¿Quién es ese?For a person, the masculine or feminine form is used, not the neuter.
In short
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi, tu, su | agree in number, no feminine | mi casa, mis libros |
| nuestro, vuestro | agree in gender and number | nuestra casa |
| su, sus | his, her, its, their, your (usted, ustedes) | su coche |
| no article | possessive and demonstrative | mi libro, este libro |
| este | near the speaker (aquí) | este libro |
| ese | near the person spoken to (ahí) | esa mesa |
| aquel | far from both (allí) | aquellas casas |
| esto, eso, aquello | a thing not named; never before a noun | ¿Qué es esto? |
Practise
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