Possessives & Demonstratives

📌 Nota gramatical

The possessive adjective 'my' has two forms in Spanish: 'mi' for singular nouns and 'mis' for plural nouns. They do not change for grammatical gender (masculine/feminine). They always precede the noun they modify.

📌 Nota gramatical

Used for addressing one person informally ('tú'). Like 'mi', it has only singular ('tu') and plural ('tus') forms to match the noun, not the gender of the owner or object.

📌 Nota gramatical

'Su' and 'sus' are ambiguous because they serve multiple pronouns (él, ella, usted, ellos, ellas, ustedes). Context usually clarifies who the owner is. It matches the number of the noun (singular/plural).

📌 Nota gramatical

Unlike 'mi' and 'tu', 'nuestro' agrees in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun that follows it. Forms: nuestro (m.sing), nuestra (f.sing), nuestros (m.pl), nuestras (f.pl).

📌 Nota gramatical

Used in Spain when addressing a group of people you address individually as 'tú'. It agrees in gender and number with the noun. In Latin America, 'su/sus' is used instead.

📌 Nota gramatical

Demonstrative adjectives indicate proximity to the speaker ('close to me'). They change for gender and number: este (m.sing), esta (f.sing), estos (m.pl), estas (f.pl). They always precede the noun.

📌 Nota gramatical

Indicates items close to the listener or at a medium distance from the speaker ('near you'). Forms: ese (m.sing), esa (f.sing), esos (m.pl), esas (f.pl).

📌 Nota gramatical

Used for objects that are far away from both the speaker and the listener ('over there'). Forms: aquel (m.sing), aquella (f.sing), aquellos (m.pl), aquellas (f.pl).

📌 Nota gramatical

Neuter demonstrative pronouns have no gender or plural forms. They are used to identify an unknown object, an idea, or a situation, never a specific noun. They never take written accent marks in modern orthography.

📌 Nota gramatical

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro) always come before the noun they modify. They agree in number (and gender for nuestro/vuestro) with the noun, never with the owner.

📌 Nota gramatical

Because 'su' can mean his, her, your, or their, Spanish speakers often clarify ownership by adding 'de él', 'de ella', 'de usted', 'de ellos', or 'de usted' after the noun.

📌 Nota gramatical

Demonstrative adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they accompany. Masculine ends in -o/s (-e/s for este), feminine ends in -a/s.