In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French, we study possessive adjectives and pronouns in each language.
Table of Contents
- Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Spanish
- Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Portuguese
- Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Italian
- Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in French
- Level II – Beginner
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his/her, our, their) come before a noun, e.g., “This is my house,” while possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his/hers, ours, theirs) are used to replace a noun and its possessive adjective, e.g., “This house is mine.”
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Spanish
In Spanish, possessive adjectives and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Fortunately, only “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as” have distinct masculine and feminine possessive adjective forms.
| Singular | Plural | |
| my | mi | mis |
| your (informal singular) | tu | tus |
| his/her/your (formal singular) | su | sus |
| our | nuestro/-a | nuestros/-as |
| your (informal plural) | vuestro/-a | vuestros/-as |
| their/your (formal plural) | su | sus |
- Note that, unlike in English, the possessive adjective agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes and not the possessor, e.g., “mis hermanos” (my brothers). Note that we use “mis” because the noun we describe is plural, although the possessor is singular. Similarly, in the example “nuestras madres” (our mothers), the possessive adjective “nuestras” agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, i.e., “madres.”
- Notice the lack of accent on the vowel in the possessive adjectives “mi” and “tu” to distinguish them from the prepositional object pronoun “mí” meaning “me,” and the subject pronoun for second-person singular informal “tú” meaning “you,” respectively. This is inconsequential in spoken Spanish and does not affect pronunciation.
- The possessive adjective can come after the noun if the emphasis is placed on the possessor, e.g., “un amigo mío” (a friend of mine), “la casa tuya” (your house), etc.
Let us now examine the possessive pronouns in Spanish. Unlike possessive adjectives, all possessive pronouns have masculine and feminine forms as well as singular and plural forms. One must use the correct form that agrees in gender and number with the noun being described.
- Possessive pronouns are normally preceded with a definite article “el,” “la,” “los,” or “las” that agrees in gender and number with the possessive pronoun, e.g., “Tu celular es mejor que el mío” (Your cell phone is better than mine), “Esa casa es la nuestra” (That house is ours). The only exception is after the verb “ser,” where it is optional and can be dropped, e.g., “No es tuyo, es mío” (It is not yours, it’s mine), “Esa casa es nuestra” (That house is ours).
- In another special case, the possessive pronoun can be preceded by the neuter article “lo” to denote property, e.g., “lo mío” (that which is mine), “lo nuestro” (that which is ours), “lo suyo/lo propio” (one’s own property), “lo ajeno” (that which belongs to others).
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Portuguese
In Portuguese, possessive adjectives and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
| Sing. Masc. | Sing. Fem. | Plural Masc. | Plural Fem. | |
| my (mine) | meu | minha | meus | minhas |
| his/her(s)/their(s)/your(s) | seu | sua | seus | suas |
| our(s) | nosso | nossa | nossos | nossas |
- Note that, unlike in English, the possessive adjective agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes and not the possessor, e.g., “meus irmãos” (my brothers). Note that we use “meus” because the noun we describe is plural, although the possessor is singular. Similarly, in the example “nossas mães” (our mothers), the possessive adjective “nossas” agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, i.e., “mães.”
- Notice that possessive adjectives “seu(s)” and “sua(s)” can mean “his,” “her,” “their,” or “your.” This could create ambiguity. For example, “o seu livro” can be translated as “his/her/their/your book.” Similarly, “os seus livros” can mean “his/her/their/your books.” To avoid such confusion, especially in the daily spoken language, the following expressions can be used instead:
| his | o(s)/a(s) … dele | the … of him |
| her | o(s)/a(s) … dela | the … of her |
| their (masculine) | o(s)/a(s) … deles | the … of them |
| their (feminine) | o(s)/a(s) … delas | the … of them |
| your (informal singular) | seu(s)/sua(s) … | |
| your (formal singular) | o(s)/a(s) … do senhor o(s)/a(s) … da senhora | the … of the sir/lady |
| your (plural) | seu(s)/sua(s) … |
For example, “o livro dele” means “his book,” “o livro dela” means “her book,” “os livro dela” means “her books,” etc.
If “seu(s)” or “sua(s)” is used in spoken language, it is often assumed to mean “your” in the singular informal form, e.g., “o seu livro” (your book) unless the meaning indicates otherwise. Another equivalent to “o seu livro” (your book) is “o teu livro,” where the possessive adjective “teu” comes from the less-common “tu” form, the subject personal pronoun discussed in Level I, Lesson 5. The feminine form of “teu” is “tua.”
Some people may avoid using “seu(s)” and “sua(s)” to mean “his,” “her,” or “their,” and reserve its use to mean “your” in singular or plural forms.
Notice that, in many cases, the correct interpretation of “seu(s)” or “sua(s)” is easily understood from the context. Here are some examples:
| Ele emprestou seu livro para ela. | He lent her his book. |
| A mãe comprou um presente para sua filha. | The mother bought a present for her daughter. |
| Eles cuidam do seu jardim com muito carinho. | They look after their garden with great care. |
| Os funcionários adoraram seu novo emprego. | The employees loved their new job. |
| Ela encontrou sua amiga no shopping. | She met her friend at the mall. |
| Eles visitam seus amigos todo fim de semana. | They visit their friends every weekend. |
The informal first-person plural “a gente” can be used in a similar way instead of the formal “nosso(s)” and “nossa(s)” forms:
| our (informal) | o(s)/a(s) … da gente | the … of us (the people) |
- The possessive adjective can come after the noun if the emphasis is placed on the possessor, e.g., “um amigo meu” (a friend of mine), “aquela casa sua” (that house of yours), etc.
- Possessive adjectives can be preceded with a definite article that agrees in gender and number with the possessive adjective. This may sound a little unfamiliar and less natural to English speakers. For example, both “meus livros” and “os meus livros” mean “my books.” In general, adding the definite article before the possessive adjective is optional.
- Possessive pronouns are normally preceded with a definite article that agrees in gender and number with the possessive pronoun, e.g., “Seu celular é melhor que o meu” (Your cell phone is better than mine), “A casa dela é maior que a nossa” (Her house is bigger than ours). The only exception is after the verb “ser,” where it is often dropped, e.g., “Não é seu, é meu” (It is not yours, it’s mine), “Essa casa é nossa” (That house is ours).
- One can also insert the adjective “proprio/-a” (own) between the possessive pronoun and the noun for emphasis, e.g., “o próprio telefone dele” (his own phone), “sua própria casa” (your own house), etc. The plural forms of “proprio” and “propria” are “proprios” and “proprias,” respectively, e.g., “com as próprias mãos” (with one’s own hands).
It is common in Portuguese to use the definite article instead of the possessive adjective when referring to members of one’s family, “Eles vão ficar com o pai” (They will stay with their father), “Ele gosta de sair com a tia” (He likes to go out with his aunt), etc.
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in Italian
In Italian, possessive adjectives and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, except for the possessive “loro” (their), which is invariable.
Moreover, the definite article must precede the possessive as an essential part that agrees with it in gender and number. This may sound a little unfamiliar and less natural to English speakers.
| Sing. Masc. | Sing. Fem. | Plural Masc. | Plural Fem. | |
| my (mine) | il mio | la mia | i miei | le mie |
| your(s) (informal singular) | il tuo | la tua | i tuoi | le tue |
| his/her(s)/your(s) (form. sing.) | il suo | la sua | i suoi | le sue |
| our(s) | il nostro | la nostra | i nostri | le nostre |
| your(s) (informal plural) | il vostro | la vostra | i vostri | le vostre |
| their(s)/your(s) (formal plural) | il loro | la loro | i loro | le loro |
- The formal possessive “your(s)” should be capitalized in plural “il/la/i/leLoro,” and singular: “il Suo,” “la Sua,” “i Suoi,” and “le Sue.”
- Note that, unlike in English, the possessive adjective agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes and not the possessor, e.g., “i miei fratelli” (my brothers). Note that we use “i miei” because the noun we describe is masculine and plural, although the possessor is singular. Similarly, in the example “le nostre madri” (our mothers), the possessive adjective “le nostre” agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
- The possessive adjective can come after the noun if the emphasis is placed on the possessor and the noun is preceded by an indefinite article or a verb, e.g., “un amico mio” (a friend of mine), “un problema tuo” (your problem), “Sono affari tuoi” (That’s your business), etc.One can also insert the adjective “proprio/-a” (own) between the possessive pronoun and the noun for emphasis, e.g., “il suo proprio telefono” (his own phone), “la tua propria casa” (your own house), etc. The plural forms of “proprio” and “propria” are “propri” and “proprie,” respectively, e.g., “con le proprie mani” (with one’s own hands).The definite article is optional and can be dropped after the verb “essere,” e.g., “Non è tuo, è mio,” (It is not yours, it’s mine), “Quella casa, è nostra” (That house is ours).
- The definite article is not used to precede the possessive adjective with the following singular unmodified kinship nouns, except for “loro”:
| padre (father) | marito (husband) | suocero (father-in-law) |
| madre (mother) | moglie (wife) | suocera (mother-in-law) |
| figlio (son) | zio (uncle) | cognato (brother-in-law) |
| figlia (daughter) | zia (aunt) | cognata (sister-in-law) |
| fratello (brother) | genero (son-in-law) | cugino (male cousin) |
| sorella (sister) | nuora (daughter-in-law) | cugina (female cousin) |
For example:
| mio padre | my father |
| tua madre | your mother |
| sua zia | his/her aunt |
| le sue zie | his/her aunts |
| la sua zia vecchia | his/her old aunt |
| il loro figlio | their brother |
Notice that, in the last three examples, the kinship name is either not singular, modified, or preceded by “loro.” Thus, the definite article is needed before the possessive adjective.
The definite article is still needed, if a possessive pronoun is used, e.g., “Mio padre sta bene, e il tuo,?” (My father is well, and yours?).
The definite article with the following kinship nouns is optional, when singular and unmodified, except for “loro”:
| papà (dad) | e.g., mio papà | (or) | il mio papà |
| mamma (mom) | e.g., tua mamma | (or) | la tua mamma |
| nonno (grandfather) | e.g., suo nonno | (or) | il suo nonno |
| nonna (grandmother) | e.g., sua nonna | (or) | la sua nonna |
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns in French
In French, possessive adjectives and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
The possessive adjectives are:
| Sing. Masc. | Sing. Fem. | Plural Masc. | Plural Fem. | |
| my | mon | ma | mes | |
| your (informal singular) | ton | ta | tes | |
| his/her | son | sa | ses | |
| our | notre | nos | ||
| your (plural or formal singular) | votre | vos | ||
| their | leur | leurs | ||
On the other hand, the possessive pronouns in French are:
| Sing. Masc. | Sing. Fem. | Plural Masc. | Plural Fem. | |
| mine | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| yours (informal singular) | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| his/hers | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| ours | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | |
| yours (plural or formal singular) | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | |
| theirs | le leur | la leur | les leurs | |
- Note that the masculine form “mon,” “ton,” or “son” is used before a singular feminine noun that starts with a vowel or a mute “h,” e.g., “mon armoiref” (my cabinet), “son horlogef” (his clock), etc.
- Note that, unlike in English, the possessive adjective agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes and not the possessor, e.g., “mes frères” (my brothers). Note that we use “mes” because the noun we describe is plural, although the possessor is singular. Similarly, in the example “sa mère” (his/her mother), the possessive adjective “sa” agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, “mère,” and can mean “his” or “her” depending on the gender of the possessor. The context often clears up this ambiguity.
- Another way to express possession is using the proposition “à” followed by a noun or object pronoun, e.g., “C’est à toi” (This is yours), “Je ne sais pas c’est à qui” (I don’t know whose it is), “Ce n’est pas à Robert” (It’s not Robert’s), etc.
- One can also insert the adjective “propre(s)” (own) between the possessive pronoun and the noun for emphasis, e.g., “son propre téléphone” (his/her own phone), “ta propre maison” (your own house), “ses propres mains” (his/her own hands), etc.
Next: Demonstrative Pronouns & Adjectives
Back to: Comparative Grammar Lessons
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