Spanish Possessive Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives In Spanish
When we talk about owning something, we talk about the possession of that object. Possessive adjectives in Spanish are the exact same thing. They talk about the ownership of something. They are similar to other adjectives in that they must match the number and gender of whatever they are referring to.
Spanish is different from English however. The Spanish language uses two different sets of possessive adjectives. The two forms are long and short. The long form is used after a noun and the short form is used before a noun. Listed below are some of the short and long forms.
- Short: Mi, Mis, Tu, Tus, Su, Sus,
- Short: Nuestro, Nuestra, Nuestros, Nuestras
- Short: Vuestro, Vuestra, Vuestros, Vuestras
- Long: Mío, Mía, Míos, Mías
- Long: Suyo, Suya, Suyos, Suyas
- Long: Vuestro, Vuestra, Vuestros, Vuestras
- Long: Nuestro, Nuestra, Nuestros, Nuestras
Remember that all of the possessive adjectives do vary by their gender (masculine and feminine) as well as the number. What you have to understand here though, is that they do not modify the people or person who owns the object. They modify the noun. Does that make sense?
Did you know that a single possessive adjective in Spanish only refers to one noun in particular? That is true for all singular possessives. This is different from English, because English can use one of these to refer to more than one noun. In some instances, there may be a slight difference as to whether the adjective is used before or after the noun.
We use the possessive adjectives quite a bit in English. The same can be said for Spanish. Do you know of one of the major differences though when using these adjectives in Spanish? Do not use the possessive form when talking about the human body. In that case, use the definite article, whether it be "las, los, la, or el".
Most of the Spanish possessive adjectives forms are interchangeable. You might see a slight difference here and there but for the most part, there is very little difference between them. The everyday language of Spanish uses the short form a lot more. The longer form seems to be used in a "formal" way of speaking. You do see it used in spoken word as well though. I hope this has helped your understanding of the possessive adjectives and I will see you in the next lesson. Summary of Adjectives>>
