A1 · Nouns and adjectives
Posesivos y demostrativos
Two small closed sets that appear in every conversation. The trap for English speakers is su, which means his, her, their and your all at once, and the three-way distance system where English only has two.
Possessives agree with the thing, not the owner
Su casa does not tell you whether the owner is male or female. It tells you there is one house. Sus casas means several houses, whoever owns them.
| Owner | Singular thing | Plural things |
|---|---|---|
| yo | mi | mis |
| tú | tu | tus |
| él / ella / usted | su | sus |
| nosotros | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| ellos / ustedes | su | sus |
Su is ambiguous, and Spanish fixes it with de
When context does not make it clear, speakers replace su with the article plus de.
- Su casa.His, her, their or your house.
- La casa de ella.Her house. · unambiguous
- El perro de mi primo.My cousin's dog. · Spanish has no 's
Three distances, not two
| Distance | Masculine | Feminine | Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| near me: this | este / estos | esta / estas | esto |
| near you: that | ese / esos | esa / esas | eso |
| far from both: that over there | aquel / aquellos | aquella / aquellas | aquello |
The neutral forms
Esto, eso and aquello never carry an accent and never accompany a noun. They point at something unnamed or at a whole situation.
- ¿Qué es esto?What is this?
- Eso no me gusta.I do not like that. · a situation
- Este libro es mío.This book is mine. · with a noun
Mine, yours: the long forms
After ser, or standing alone with an article, the possessive takes a longer form.
- Es mío.It is mine.
- La tuya está en la mesa.Yours is on the table.
- Un amigo mío.A friend of mine.
Mistakes to avoid
Mis casa es grande.
Mi casa es grande.
The possessive matches the thing: one house.
El perro de mi primo's.
El perro de mi primo.
Spanish has no apostrophe possessive.
Esto libro es mío.
Este libro es mío.
Esto never goes with a noun.
Try it
___ hermanas viven en Cusco.
¿Qué es ___?
Es la casa ___ ella.
Ese libro es ___.