POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

There are some forms of expressing possession; one of the most common is using the possessive adjectives.

Did you know that?
(¿Sabías que?) 

Definition

Possessive adjectives  are words that modify a noun to show a form of possession, a sense of belonging or ownership to a specific person, animal or thing.

The possessive adjectives that are used in the English language are: my, your, our, its, her, his, and their; each one corresponds to a subject pronoun.

Los adjetivos posesivos deben ser usados de acuerdo con el sujeto que describen, y no cambian con las cosas, animales o personas que señalan poseer, no importa si es masculino o femenino, o si es plural o singular. la forma del adjetivo posesivo será siempre la misma. 

1. My (mi,mis): It is always used for the pronoun "I"; it is used for singular or plural nouns; it is used for a girl or a man.

• My name is Joe. (Mi name is Joe) 
• My name is Liz. (Mi nombre es Liz) 
• My dog is black. (Mi perro es negro) 
• My cats are white.(Mis gatos son blancos) 

2. Your (tu, su, sus,  su de uds.): It is used for the pronoun "you" in singular or in plural, for male or female owners.

• Your name is Christopher.(Tu nombre es Christopher)
• What is your e- mail Sharon?(¿Cuál es tu e-mail Sharon?)
• Girls, can you write your phone numbers on the list? (Chicas, pueden escribir sus número de teléfono en la lista?)
• Please boys, write on the list your first names and your e- mails.(Por favor chicos, escriban en la lista sus nombres y sus e-mails) 

3. His (su, de él): It is used when the subject is a male person; It is for plural or singular nouns.

• What is his name? (¿Cuál es su nombre?)
• Harry lives in Paris, his house is near the Eiffel tower. (Harry vive en París, su casa esta cerca de la Torreo Eiffel).  
• Homer likes cars, his cars are four sport ones. (A Homero le gustan los autos, sus autos son cuatro deportivos).

4. Her (Su,de ella): It is used when the subject is a female person; It is for plural or singular nouns.

• What is her name?(¿Cuál es su nombre?)
• Mary lives in New York, her house is small but beautiful.(Mary vive en Nueva York, su casa es pequeña pero hermosa)
• Anna likes animals, her pets are three white cats. (A Anna le gustan los animales, sus mascotas son tres gatos blancos)

5. Its  (su,de ello): It is used when the subject is only one thing or one animal; It is for plural or singular nouns.

• What a cute puppy what is its name? (Que hermoso cachorro, ¿cuál es su nombre)
• The dog always moves its tail, when it sees its owner. (El perro siempre mueve su cola, cuando ve a su dueño)
• Hey, The TV wireless control doesn´t  have its batteries. (Oye, el control inalámbrico de la TV no tiene sus baterías) 
• The table has its four legs too short. (La mesa tiene sus cuatro patas muy cortas)

6. Our (nuestro,nuestra, nuestros,nuestras): It is used when the subject is "we". It is used with singular or plural nouns.

• We are rich, our house has pools and gardens.
• (Nosotros somos ricos, nuestra casa tiene albercas y jardines)
• We like our school and our teachers.
• (A nosotros nos gusta nuestra escuela y nuestros maestros)
• Our dogs aren´t dangerous. (Nuestros perros no son peligrosos)

8. Their (su,de ellos, de ellas): It is used when the subject is "they"; It is used for people, animals or  things, It is used for plural or singular nouns.

• These dogs don´t have their tails and their ears.(Estos perros no tienen sus colas y sus orejas)
• The boys gave me their money for their books.(Los chicos me dieron su dinero para sus libros)
• In Arabia the dogs don’t have  their vaccines for sicknesses. (En Arabia los perros no tienen sus vacunas para enfermedades)
• The boys have their own apartment. (Los chicos tienen su propio departamento) 
• In Israel, all the cars don´t have their plates.(In Israel, los carros no tienen sus placas) 

Position of the possessive adjectives

1. They are adjectives, so like other adjectives they are located before the noun.(Al ser adjetivos, al igual que otros, son colocados antes del sujeto)
                                

Possessive adjective + noun

• My house (Mi casa) 

• Your book (Tu libro)  

• Their car (Su carro)

2. The possessive adjectives always agree with the possessor and not with the thing, animal or person that is possessed. (Los adjetivos posesivos siempre concuerdan con el posesor y no con la cosa, animal o persona que se posee)

• My house is big (“I” is the subject that possess a house). (Mi casa es grande). ("Yo" es el sujeto que posee la casa)

• Her husband works in a bank (“She” is the subject that possess a husband). (Su esposo trabaja en el banco)("Ella" es el sujeto que posee un esposo)

• His mother is a teacher (“He” is the subject that possesses a mother). (Su mamá es maestra) ( "Él" es el sujeto que posee una mamá)

3. Plural o singular nouns with possessive adjectives are used in the same form for plural or singular nouns. (Los adjetivos posesivos son usados en la misma forma con los sujetos en singular o plural)

• Our car is expensive (a singular thing). (Nuestro auto es barato)

• Our cars are expensive (plural things).(Nuestros autos son baratos)

• My book is interesting (Singular). (Mi libro es interesante)

• My books are interesting (Plural). (Mis libros son interesantes)

• Our son is handsome (Singular).(Nuestro hijo es guapo)

• Our sons are handsome (Plural).(Nuestros hijos son guapos)