Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 14

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (19 questions)

Spanish Possessive Pronouns: el mío, el tuyo, el suyo

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Mine, yours and the rest are the long possessives: , , , , . They agree with the thing owned, never the owner:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - This house is mine.
  • ; . - My car is old; yours is new.

The long possessives on one screen

The ending matches the noun: -o for masculine, -a for feminine, -s for plural.

Ownerm. sgf. sgplural
mine,
yours (),
his, hers, theirs,
ours,
yours (),

also means yours for and . They are used in three ways:

WhereExampleEnglish
after .It's mine.
with , yours
after a noun a friend of mine

The short forms that go in front of a noun (, , ) are on Spanish possessive adjectives.

After ser: es mío

To say who something belongs to, put the long form straight after , with no article:

  • . - This house is mine.
  • . - The books are yours.
  • ¿ ? - Is this car yours?

The article comes in only when you pick one out of a set:

  • ¿ ? - Which one is yours?

The pronoun: el mío, la tuya

my house becomes mine: la mía

Put , , or in front, and the possessive replaces the noun. Both words agree with the noun they replace:

ReplacesSpanishEnglish
, f. sg ; .Your house is big; mine is small.
, m. sg .My dog and yours.
, m. pl .My children and his, hers or theirs.
, f. pl .Your keys and ours.

The gender is the noun's, not the owner's. A man talking about his house says , because is feminine.

With the possessive means what is mine, with no noun at all:

  • . - What's mine is yours.

Un amigo mío: of mine

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?

English says a friend of mine. Spanish puts the long form straight after the noun, with :

  • - a friend of mine
  • - a friend of yours
  • - some neighbours of ours
  • - that car of yours

The same position gives the fixed exclamation ¡ ! - My God!

Suyo, and el de ella

and each cover five owners: his, her, its, your (, ) and their. Usually the context makes it clear. When it does not, Spanish swaps in plus the owner:

A woman with long hair and a bow stands on the grass holding an open green umbrella over her head and a dog on a red lead; a red car is parked behind her.

Ella (she) and her things: el perro de ella (her dog), el coche de ella (her car), el paraguas de ella (her umbrella). Su perro could also be his, yours or theirs; de ella leaves no doubt.

UnclearClearEnglish
his house
her house
theirs
yours ()

The same works with any owner:

  • Juan. - My car and Juan's.
  • , . - It isn't our car, it's theirs.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
of mine: long form after
. .agrees with
y mine, yours:
. (his) . needs a noun after it

What to do next

  1. Say the noun first, then match the possessive to it: , .
  2. Do the sort and spot-the-mistake drills below.
  3. Then Spanish possessive adjectives for , and in front of a noun.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

Mine: which form replaces each noun?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the long possessive that agrees with the thing owned.

  1. Este libro es .

  2. Esta idea es .

  3. Estos zapatos son .

  4. Estas llaves son .

  5. Es una amiga . (a friend of mine)

  6. Tu casa es grande y la es pequeña.

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. Your house is big and mine is small.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. This car is hers.

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between and ?
is the short possessive that goes in front of a noun: (my house). is the long form, which goes after , after a noun, or after an article: (this house is mine), (a friend of mine), (mine). Both agree with the thing owned.
How do you say 'mine' and 'yours' in Spanish?
After , use the long form on its own: , . To replace a noun, add the article: , , , (mine); , , , (yours). ; means my house is small; yours is big.
Why is it ' ' when I am a man?
Because the possessive agrees with the thing owned, not the owner. A man talking about his house says , because is feminine; a woman talking about her car says , because is masculine.
How do you say 'a friend of mine' in Spanish?
, with the long possessive straight after the noun and : (a friend of yours), (some neighbours of ours). is not Spanish.
How do you say theirs, and how do you clear up ?
Theirs is , , or : ; . Because also means his, hers and yours, Spanish often says , or instead, which leaves no doubt: , (it isn't our car, it's theirs).