In this final lesson of Unit 2, you'll learn possessive adjectives — the words for 'my,' 'your,' 'his/her,' and 'our.' You'll use them to talk about what belongs to different family members. This is the glue that holds family descriptions together: 'mi mamá,' 'tu hermano,' 'su casa,' 'nuestra familia.' Let's bring everything together!
Learning tips
- 'Mi,' 'tu,' and 'su' are simple — they don't change for gender, only for number: mi → mis, tu → tus, su → sus.
- 'Nuestro' is the exception — it changes for both gender AND number: nuestro carro (m), nuestra casa (f), nuestros libros (m pl), nuestras cosas (f pl).
- 'Su' can mean his, her, your (formal), or their. Context makes it clear: 'María y su esposo' = 'María and her husband.'
- Note: 'tu' (your, no accent) is different from 'tú' (you, with accent). The accent changes the meaning!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| simpático | nice, likeable |
| amable | kind |
| inteligente | intelligent |
| divertido | fun/funny |
| serio | serious |
| tranquilo | calm/quiet |
| muy | very |
| un poco | a little |
| pero | but |
| también | also |
Dialog
Valentina gives Andrés a tour of her home, showing who owns what. Notice how possessive adjectives work: 'mi casa' (my house), 'tu carro' (your car), 'su carro' (his/her car), 'nuestra casa' (our house). The key rule: 'mi/tu/su' don't change for gender — only 'nuestro/nuestra' does. Watch how 'su' can mean 'his' or 'her' depending on context.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| mi | /mi/ | my | Plural: mis — doesn't change for gender |
| tu | /tu/ | your (informal) | Plural: tus — doesn't change for gender |
| su | /su/ | his, her, your (formal), their | Plural: sus — context determines meaning |
| nuestro | /ˈnwes.tɾo/ | our (masculine) | Used before masculine nouns: nuestro carro |
| nuestra | /ˈnwes.tɾa/ | our (feminine) | Used before feminine nouns: nuestra casa |
| la casa | /ˈka.sa/ | the house, home | |
| el carro | /ˈka.ro/ | the car | In Spain: el coche. In Colombia: el carro |
| el libro | /ˈli.βɾo/ | the book | |
| la cosa | /ˈko.sa/ | the thing | Plural: las cosas |
| nuevo | /ˈnwe.βo/ | new | Feminine: nueva |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| sus | /sus/ | his/her/their (plural noun) | Plural form of 'su' |
| mis | /mis/ | my (plural noun) | Plural form of 'mi' |
| tus | /tus/ | your (plural noun, informal) | Plural form of 'tu' |
| nuestros | /ˈnwes.tɾos/ | our (masculine plural) | Plural form of 'nuestro' |
| todo | /ˈto.ðo/ | all, everything | Feminine: toda; plural: todos/todas |
| cada | /ˈka.ða/ | each, every | Doesn't change — always 'cada' |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| mi casa | my house |
| nuestras cosas | our things |
Grammar: Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro/a, sus) — agreement with the possessed noun, not the possessor
| Person | Singular noun | Plural noun |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi libro | mis libros |
| tú | tu casa | tus casas |
| él/ella/usted | su carro | sus carros |
| nosotros | nuestro libro / nuestra casa | nuestros libros / nuestras casas |
| ellos/ustedes | su cosa | sus cosas |
Key rule: mi, tu, su do NOT change for gender — only for number (mi → mis, tu → tus, su → sus).
Exception: nuestro/nuestra changes for BOTH gender AND number: nuestro carro, nuestra casa, nuestros carros, nuestras casas.
Important: 'su' can mean his, her, your (formal), or their — context makes it clear.
Possessive adjectives go before the noun and show who owns something.
| Person | Before singular noun | Before plural noun |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi libro / mi casa | mis libros / mis casas |
| tú | tu libro / tu casa | tus libros / tus casas |
| él/ella/usted | su libro / su casa | sus libros / sus casas |
| nosotros | nuestro libro / nuestra casa | nuestros libros / nuestras casas |
| ellos/ustedes | su libro / su casa | sus libros / sus casas |
Key rules:
1. mi, tu, su — do NOT change for gender. Only change for number (add -s for plural).
2. nuestro — changes for BOTH gender AND number. It's the only one that agrees with the noun's gender.
3. su/sus can mean his, her, your (formal), or their. Context makes it clear.
4. Possessives agree with the thing owned, not the owner: 'María tiene su libro' (María has her book) — 'su' is singular because 'libro' is singular, regardless of María being female.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct possessive adjective.
- Esta es casa. (my)(first person singular possessive)
- ¿Es carro? (your, informal)(second person informal possessive)
- libro es nuevo. (his/her)(third person possessive)
- casa es grande. (our, feminine)(first person plural, feminine noun)
- Ella tiene cosas aquí. (her, plural)(third person, plural noun)
Grammar Application
Choose the correct possessive adjective for each combination of person + noun.
- yo + libro → libro(yo + singular noun → mi)
- tú + cosas → cosas(tú + plural noun → tus)
- nosotros + casa → casa(nosotros + feminine singular → nuestra)
- ella + carros → carros(ella + plural noun → sus)
- nosotros + libros → libros(nosotros + masculine plural → nuestros)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish using the correct possessive adjective.
- My house is new.
- Where are your books?
- His/Her car is big.
- Our family is big.
- My things are in the house.
Creative Construction
Write 2-3 sentences about your family and possessions. Use at least 3 different possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro/a).
Takeaway
Possessive adjectives: mi/mis, tu/tus, su/sus (don't change for gender), nuestro/nuestra/nuestros/nuestras (change for both gender and number). They agree with the thing owned, not the owner. 'Su' can mean his, her, your (formal), or their.