Pronombres posesivos ~ Spanish Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are the words which replace nouns modified by possessive adjectives. In Spanish there are different forms of possessive pronouns depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

Note that the Spanish possessive pronouns for third person singular (él, ella, Ud.) and plural (ellos, Uds.) are identical.

There are two important things to know about Spanish possessive pronouns:

1. The possessive pronoun must match the noun being replaced in gender and number.
2. The appropriate definite article must be used.

Otherwise, Spanish and English possessive pronouns are very similar.

When the masculine singular possessive pronoun is preceded by the preposition a or de, the preposition contracts with the definite article (el):

Note that Spanish possessive pronouns are identical to stressed form possessive adjectives, but their usage is different: possessive pronouns replace nouns, while possessive adjectives modify nouns.

There is also a neuter possessive pronoun which is used when the possessed thing is abstract or unspecific, in the sense of one's part, share, things, task, etc.

The Spanish neuter possessive pronoun is formed with the neuter article lo plus the masculine singular possessive pronoun (mío, tío, suyo, nuestro, vuestro).

Test on possessive pronouns

Spanish Possession

Spanish Grammar     Spanish for Beginners

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