Spanish Possessive Pronouns: Rules, Examples and Practice Resources
“Mine!”
Remember when you were a kid and someone looked as if they were thinking of laying claim to your favorite toy, shiny seashell or half-eaten apple?
You responded, didn’t you?
You probably made it real clear that whatever you imagined might be claimed by another was, in fact, already claimed—by you!
That’s called possession. We all do it.
We claim things, people and places as our own using mine, mostly.
We also attribute items to others. Things can be his, hers, yours or theirs. That shows that they aren’t ours but belong elsewhere.
All of those words—yours, mine, theirs and the rest—are called possessive pronouns. They express possession and eliminate confusion regarding who owns what.
We learn how to navigate possessive pronouns in our native languages quite early. Remember, you had no problem saying “Mine!” when you were just a toddler.
When Spanish language learners need to learn to use possessive pronouns all over again, they often shrink back apprehensively.
Yours is yours?
Mine is mine?
How to say that without feeling and sounding confused?
The key is to step right up, the way you did as a toddler.
Possessive pronouns operate the same way in any language, so learn the rules, give the skill some practice time and begin laying claim to what’s yours!
I know it sounds difficult but we’ve got some excellent resources and useful information that will help you turn this possession issue into a non-issue.
Let’s check them out!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Where to Practice Spanish Possessive Pronouns
SpanishDict
SpanishDict has a great quiz for practicing possessive pronouns.
To get learners up to speed and ready to take the quiz, there’s basic information about pronouns and how to use them, as well.
And, if there’s still a bit of uncertainty, SpanishDict provides a comprehensive chart that shows all the forms of possessive pronouns.
Read it all—then use the quiz to practice!
FluentU
Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.
FluentU has a wide variety of videos topics, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used.
Plus, if you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.
Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.
The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re studying with the same video.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
StudySpanish.com
StudySpanish.com has some in-depth grammar material on its site. Fortunately, one of the topics covered is possessive pronouns—and they do a super job explaining the ins and outs of how they work. They also provide examples showing correct possessive pronoun usage.
There are quizzes with translations for practice purposes. The quizzes are instantly graded, so they’re a good way to gauge mastery of the subject.
Additionally, there are suggestions to further deepen comprehension on this grammar topic. My favorite is the idea of writing paragraphs using as many possessive pronouns as possible! This exercise is a wonderful way to practice pronoun usage, as well as to give learners a bit of extra writing practice—a win-win situation!
LearnSpanishFeelGood.com
LearnSpanishFeelGood.com has a ton of information and loads of exercises that focus on nouns and pronouns.
The material is intended for beginner and intermediate learners, but even advanced learners can benefit from using these practice materials. After all, brushing up is a great way to keep your skills intact!
There are two sets of fill-in-the-blank exercises using possessive pronouns, and this additional practice won’t take a lot of time—but it will help solidify your skills on this topic! Try one and then the other to power up your pronoun prowess!
Study.com
Study.com’s Spanish possessive pronouns practice materials cover the topic from every angle.
There’s an informative video, a quiz, a worksheet and resources for more in-depth learning opportunities on this grammar topic.
The quiz and worksheet are a great place for beginning learners to get some solid practice in. The quiz questions are basic, and the worksheet is printable so you can complete it on the go!
123TeachMe
Once you’ve got the basics of how Spanish possessive pronouns work, take 123TeachMe’s quiz on the topic.
It’s perfect for beginners because the examples are basic. It’s also great for anyone with a competitive streak because it’s timed—and that adds a bit of excitement to an otherwise-standard practice exercise.
If you miss a couple of questions, go back and try again. Who knows? You might cut down on the time it takes to answer the questions, and practice does increase skill level so there’s everything to gain and nothing to lose!
coLanguage
This site’s Spanish possessive pronouns resources are concise and leave no room for confusion.
Anyone wondering just exactly which pronoun is applicable in nearly any situation only has to refer to coLanguage’s excellent chart on the topic. It’s so clear that even brand new beginning learners will grasp this grammar concept.
The exercises that accompany the information are fill-in-the-blanks. A fun feature is that you can get hints for the answers if you need some extra help!
Lingolia
Working on Spanish possessive pronouns with Lingolia is fun. No, really—it is!
There are two types of exercises provided on this grammar topic. The first section consists of choosing the correct possessive pronoun from those provided in order to accurately complete the example sentence.
The second and third sections are where the fun begins. Learners must write in the correct responses for section two. By section three, they’re challenged to rewrite the example sentences by correcting the incorrect material. This added difficulty is an ideal way to learn, and the fact that there’s writing practice involved is a bonus!
Spanish Uno
Spanish Uno provides a short lesson on possessive pronouns that’s a perfect introduction to the topic.
Five opportunities exist for practice on different exercise pages. For each of the exercises, you can click on any word in the question to see its definition.
The exercises are brief, but a great feature is that learners can instantly find out whether they’ve made correct choices or whether more practice is needed!
That’s Mine! Your One-stop Guide to Spanish Possessive Pronouns
Let’s go over the fun facts regarding Spanish possessive pronouns before you hit the exercises, drills and quizzes.
Possessive pronouns are the same in any language. They show ownership.
What Are the Spanish Possessive Pronouns?
The Spanish possessive pronouns are as follows:
- mío, mía, míos, mías (mine)
- tuyo, tuya, tuyos, tuyas (yours—informal singular)
- suyo, suya, suyos, suyas (his, hers, theirs, yours—formal singular and plural)
- nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras (ours)
The Difference Between Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns shouldn’t be confused with possessive adjectives.
Spanish possessive adjectives describe nouns. They also show ownership but are placed before the noun they reference.
Mi sombrero (my hat)
Mis sombreros (my hats)
Mi gorra es marrón. Tu sombrero es negro. (My cap is brown. Your hat is black.)
Possessive pronouns actually replace nouns. They indicate ownership but are not required to be placed before nouns.
Ese auto es suyo. Este es mío. (That car is his. This one is mine.)
The easiest way to differentiate between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives is to look at their placement in a sentence.
If the possessive word comes before the noun, it’s an adjective. If it replaces the noun, it’s a pronoun.
Agreeing in Gender and Number
Because Spanish nouns are both masculine and feminine and singular and plural, both pronouns and adjectives need to agree in number and gender with the nouns they reference.
El mío/La mía (Mine, singular)
Los míos/Las mías (Mine, plural)
El tuyo/La tuya (Yours, singular)
Los tuyos/Las tuyas (Yours, plural)
El suyo/La suya (Yours, singular)
Los suyos/Las suyas (Yours, plural)
El nuestro/La nuestra (Ours, singular)
Los nuestros/Las nuestras (Ours, plural)
Example Sentences Using Possessive Pronouns
Now, let’s put everything together and see some examples of these Spanish possessive pronouns used in complete sentences.
El auto azul es mío. (The blue car is mine.)
Dos bicicletas son tuyas. (Two bicycles are yours.)
La gran motocicleta negra es suya. (The big black motorcycle is his.)
Ese bonito caballo blanco es de ella. (That pretty white horse is hers.)
Mi casa es pequeña pero la suya es grande. (My house is small but theirs is large.)
Esas sillas son tuyas. Estos son nuestros. (Those chairs are yours. These are ours.)
One of the parts of learning a new language is dealing with the nervousness that is often associated with learning the ins and outs of foreign grammar. If you felt that way or have wondered if you’re the only one with shaky knees when you think of Spanish grammar, relax. You’re not alone!
By now, you’ve probably realized that this topic is a breeze. Spanish possessive pronouns aren’t anything to be feared!
The best way to deal with this grammar topic is to simply learn the pronouns, commit them to memory and then begin using them.
Gain confidence in possessive pronoun usage by doing some practice exercises, assessing proficiency with short, fun quizzes and spending time completing possessive pronoun drills. This is one topic where practice swiftly improves your skills with a minimum amount of effort.
Soon, you’ll have laid claim to mastery over Spanish possessive pronouns!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
