Expressing Possession In English we express possession by

Expressing Possession

In English, we express possession by adding ‘s to the noun that refers to the possessor � Mr. Smith’s hat � Mrs. Watson’s chihuahua � Ernie’s ducky � Linus’s blanket

In Spanish we use the preposition “de” to refer to the possessor � El sombrero de Sr. Smith � La chihuahua de Sra. Watson � El patito de Ernie � La manta de Linus

Isn’t there a shorter way? Possessive adjectives! � Possessive adjectives tell you who owns something. � Possessive adjectives also describe relationships between people or things. � English possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, their, its

Possessive Adjectives en español � Must agree in GENDER and NUMBER with the nouns they describe › Gender = masculine/feminine › Number = singular/plural

Singular Possessive Adjectives (describing a single possession) Mi = My Nuestro(a) = Our Tu = Your (familiar) Vuestro(a) = Your (familiar) Su = His, Her, Its or Your (formal) Su = Their Your (formal)

Plural Possessive Adjectives (Describing more than one possession) Mis = My Nuestros(as) = Our Tus = Your (familiar) Vuestros(as) = Your (familiar) Sus = His, Her, Its Your (formal) Sus = Their Your (formal)

Nuestro(a) and Vuestro(a) These possessive adjectives must not only agree in number, but in GENDER with the nouns they describe. Ex: nuestro abuelo nuestra abuela nuestros abuelos nuestras abuelas

If you need to emphasize… � Substitute the adjective with de + pronoun (or the person’s name). � This also helps to clarify the meaning of su and sus. › Es su abuelo. › Es el abuelo de ella. › Es el abuelo de Margarita.

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. El perro (de nosotras) Nuestro perro

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. La bolsa (de ella) Su bolsa

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. El apartamento (de ellos) Su apartamento

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. Las camisetas (de nosotros) Nuestras camisetas

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. La casa (de ustedes) Su casa

Vamos a practiar… Tell to whom the following belong. Los hijos (de él) Sus hijos