You are probably already familiar with tonic or stressed possessive determiners. They are placed after the subject and indicate some level of possession. If you need a refresher, click here.
Spanish
English
Esos cuadros son míos.
Those paintings are mine.
When talking about objects that belong to us, tonic possessive determiners are used after a subject and the verb ser. Remebering this structure will help us easily create sentences to express information about our belongings.
Here is the construction:
| subject + | verb ser + | tonic possesive determiner |
| subject + | verb ser + | tonic possesive determiner |
Below, we will show you how you can use this construction with the six possessive determiners, including examples.
When the Owner Is the First Person Singular (yo)
Rule 1. When the object belongs to the first person (yo), you can use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + mía(s)
Spanish
English
La falda verde era mía, ahora es de mi hermana.
The green skirt was mine, now it's my sister's.
- For masculine objects, singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + mío(s)
Spanish
English
Esos cuadros son míos.
Those paintings are mine.
The verb ser can be conjugated in any tense. In this case, the verb ser is conjugated in imperfect in the first example, while in the second one, the verb ser is in the present.
When the Owner Is the Second Person Singular (tú)
Rule 2. When the object belongs to the second person (tú), you can use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + tuya(s)
Spanish
English
Las flores son tuyas, te las trajo Daniel.
The flowers are yours, Daniel brought them to you.
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + tuyo(s)
Spanish
English
Mi corazón es todo tuyo.
My heart is all yours.
In 'mi corazón es todo tuyo,' you can see that the speaker added the word 'todo.' This exemplifies how you can add words to the phrase to better fit what you are trying to express.
When the Owner Is the Third Person Singular (él, ella, usted)
Rule 3. When the object belongs to the third person singular (él, ella, usted), you can use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suya(s)
Spanish
English
Si se se hubiera esforzado, la medalla hubiera sido suya.
If he had made the effort, the medal would have been his.
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suyo(s)
Spanish
English
El carro era suyo, pero se lo regaló a su novia.
The car was his, but he gave it to his girlfriend.
The phrase can be placed at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
When the Owner Is the First Person Plural (nosotros, nosotras)
Rule 4. When the object belongs to the first person plural (nosotros, nosotras), use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + nuestra(s)
Spanish
English
Las piñas son nuestras, los mangos son tuyos.
The pineapples are ours, the mangoes are yours.
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + nuestro(s)
Spanish
English
Con mucho esfuerzo, el premio será nuestro.
With a lot of effort, the prize will be ours.
When the Owner Is the Second Person Plural (vosotros, vosotras)
Rule 5. When the object belongs to the second person plural (vosotros, vosotras), use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + vuestra(s)
Spanish
English
La bicicleta es vuestra, es un regalo.
The bike is yours, it's a gift.
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + vuestro(s)
Spanish
English
Estos materiales son vuestros, no míos.
These materials are yours, not mine.
When the Owner Is the Third Person Plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes)
Rule 6. When the object belongs to the third person singular (él, ella, usted), you will use any of the following options.
- For feminine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suya(s)
Spanish
English
Esta vajilla ha sido suya por generaciones.
This dinnerware has been theirs for generations.
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suyo(s)
Spanish
English
Estos libros son suyos, los míos no son de ese nivel.
These books are theirs, mine are not at that level.
Quiz
1/4
¿Estas llaves son ____ ? (de vosotros)
0
correct answers.