This document discusses possessive adjectives in Spanish. It explains that in Spanish, possession is shown using the structure "object + de + owner," not with apostrophes. It then introduces possessive adjectives as an alternative to this long form. The possessive adjectives are listed for singular and plural, first person (my/our), second person (your/your), third person (his/her/their), and how they agree with the object. Examples are provided to demonstrate their use. Practice exercises have the student translate sentences to Spanish using both possessive adjectives and the long possessive form.

1. Adjetivos posesivos
Possessive Adjectives

2. Showing Possession
 InSpanish there are NO apostrophes!
 You cannot say, for example,
Jorge’s dog
(using an apostrophe s)

3. Showing Posession
 You must say,
“The dog of Jorge”
 In Spanish,
“El perro de Jorge”

4. Object + DE + Owner
 Thisconcept of showing
possession is using the formula:
object + DE + owner
For example:
El perro de Jorge

5. Object + De + owner
 Tengo el cuaderno de Felipe.
 (I have Felipe’s notebook)
 La hermana de Maria es amable.
 (Maria’s sister is nice.)
 Don’t forget – DE + EL = DEL
The boy’s mom = la madre DEL chico

6. You try it!
Práctica A: Translate these to Spanish.
Ex. the girl’s cat = the cat of the girl =
El gato de la chica
1. The boy’s dog
2. The uncle’s wife
3. The cousin’s parents
4. Roberto’s grandparents
5. Juana’s aunt

7. Possessive Adjectives
 Adjectives DESCRIBE nouns,
correct?
 Well, they can also show
possession.

8. Possessive Adjectives
 Here are the possessive
adjectives in English:
my our
your
his / her their
its

9. Posessive Adjectives
 For example: “my dog, your
house, his notebook, etc.”
 We don’t have to keep repeating
the person over and over!

10. Make a GRAMMAR CARD for these! (lined side)
Posessive Adjectives
singular plural
mi / mis (my) nuestro a, os, as
(our)
tu / tus (your) vuestro, a, os, as
(your informal)
su / sus (his,her) su / sus (their)
or (your formal) or (your formal)
Note: TU does NOT have an accent mark!

11. Put these notes on the front of the GRAMMAR card.
Possessive Adjectives
 Must agree with the OBJECT.
 OBJECT is singular, possessive adjective is
singular.
 OBJECT is plural, possessive adjective is plural.
 Do NOT use the articles with the noun:
 (el, la, los, las, un, una, unos, unas)

12. Possessive Adjectives
 Some examples:
mi hermano mis hermanos
tu abuela tus abuelas
su hijo sus hijos
nuestro tío nuestros tíos
nuestra tía nuestras tías
Notice how there are no articles!

13. Posessive Adjectives
 Mi prima es alta.
Prima is singular, so MI is too!
 Todas mis primas son altas.
Primas is plural, so MIS is plural
also.
Notice, no ARTICLES!!

14. You try it!
Práctica B: Complete with the correct possessive adjective.
1. (my) tíos
2. (our) abuelos
3. (his) primas
4. (their) madre
5. (your-informal) esposo
6. (her) sobrino
7. (my) hija
8. (our) nieta

15. Posessive Adjectives
are great to use when answering questions
to eliminate the LONG possessive construction.
 ¿Son rubios los hermanos de
Rafael? (Are Rafael’s brothers blond?)
 No, sus hermanos son
pelirrojos. (No, his brothers are red-headed.)
 Whose “hermanos”? 
Rafael’s = HIS (so SUS means his)

16. SU and SUS
 Since su and sus can have many
meanings, use the long possessive
form: (or prepositional phrase)
OBJECT + de + OWNER
instead for clarity or emphasis.

17. Example:
 Sus pantalones son elegantes.
Whose pants?
His? Hers? Yours? Theirs?
 To clarify, use the long possessive form:
Los pantalones de Rosa son elegantes.
 In this case, SUS pantalones = her pants

18. More examples:
 His mother is a doctor.
 Su madre es médica.
 La madre de él es médica.
(note: don’t combine DE + ÉL because of the accent mark!)
 Their children are daring.
 Sus hijos son atrevidos.
 Los hijos de ellos son atrevidos.

19. Práctica C: You try it!
Write the sentences in Spanish using the possessive
adjective and then using the long possessive form.
You will write 2 sentences for each!
Example: Your (Ud.) brothers are tall.
Sus hermanos son altos. / Los hermanos de Ud. Son altos.
1. Her cousins are friendly.
2. Your (Uds.) uncle is a fireman.
3. Their father is bald.
4. His sister is generous.