VIA: Gramática Lesson - El Posesivo
El Posesivo
Entering a no apostrophe zone!
There is no apostrophe in Spanish and adding an -s just makes things look plural. Instead, we need to use the following formula including the word de (meaning of):
- Article + Noun + De + Name
- el libro de Susana - Susana's book
- la bicicleta de Francisco - Francisco's book
Simple enough, right? But we don't always use people's names to indicate possession.
Possessive Adjectives
We use short form possessive adjectives in Spanish the same way we do in English. We place the adjective in front of the noun. The formula looks like this:
- (short form) possessive adjective + noun
Like any good Spanish adjective, possessive adjectives need to agree in number so we have some variations for plural forms:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| mi(s) tu(s) su(s) |
nuestro(s)/nuestra(s) vuestro(s)/vuestra(s) su(s) |
The plural form is used when we have more than one thing being possessed, not when we have more than one possessor. We pick a masculine or a feminine adjective based on the gender of the thing(s) being possessed, not the gender of the possessor.
Some examples:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| nuestra bicicleta nuestras bicicletas nuestros libros |
our bicycle our bicycles our books |
Video Presentation
View the presentation below to help you review possessive adjectives. Take notes as you view the material as you will be responsible for the content. Be sure your speakers are turned up!
Practice Activities
Activity 1
Activity 2
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