Possessive Pronouns in Spanish

Spanish possessive pronouns replace a noun and show who something belongs to.

• Mi casa es pequeña. La tuya es grande. — My house is small. Yours is big.
• Este libro es mío. — This book is mine.

Unlike possessive adjectives such as mi and tu, possessive pronouns can stand without a noun.

Possessive pronouns

Owner	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine plural	Feminine plural
yo	mío	mía	míos	mías
tú	tuyo	tuya	tuyos	tuyas
él / ella / usted	suyo	suya	suyos	suyas
nosotros/as	nuestro	nuestra	nuestros	nuestras
vosotros/as	vuestro	vuestra	vuestros	vuestras
ellos / ellas / ustedes	suyo	suya	suyos	suyas

The possessive pronoun agrees with the thing possessed, not with the owner.

• El coche es mío. — The car is mine.
• La bicicleta es mía. — The bicycle is mine.
• Los libros son míos. — The books are mine.
• Las llaves son mías. — The keys are mine.

The speaker is the same in all four examples, but the form changes to match coche, bicicleta, libros, or llaves.

After ser

A very common use is:

ser + possessive pronoun

• Este móvil es mío. — This phone is mine.
• ¿La mochila es tuya? — Is the backpack yours?
• La casa es nuestra. — The house is ours.
• Esos zapatos son suyos. — Those shoes are his / hers / yours / theirs.

In this structure, you do not normally use an article:

• El libro es mío. ✓
• El libro es el mío. → possible, but it has a different meaning: “The book is the one that is mine.”

Replacing a noun

Possessive pronouns can also replace a noun that has already been mentioned.

In this use, they normally appear with el, la, los, or las.

• Mi habitación es pequeña, pero la tuya es grande. — My room is small, but yours is big.
• Tu coche es nuevo; el mío es viejo. — Your car is new; mine is old.
• Nuestros libros están aquí. ¿Dónde están los vuestros? — Our books are here. Where are yours?

The article also agrees with the noun being replaced:

• el mío → a masculine singular noun
• la mía → a feminine singular noun
• los míos → a masculine plural noun
• las mías → a feminine plural noun

Mío vs mi

Do not confuse possessive pronouns with possessive adjectives.

• mi libro — my book
• el libro es mío — the book is mine
• el mío — mine / my one

Compare:

• ¿Dónde está mi teléfono? — Where is my phone?
• Este teléfono es mío__. — This phone is mine.
• El mío está en la mesa. — Mine is on the table.

Use mi, tu, su, etc. before a noun. See Spanish Possessives for possessive adjectives and the broader possessive system.

Be careful with suyo

Suyo, suya, suyos, and suyas can refer to several different owners:

• his
• hers
• yours (formal)
• theirs
• yours (plural, in Latin America)

For example:

• El coche es suyo.

Without context, this could mean his car, her car, your car, or their car.

When the meaning is unclear, Spanish often uses de + person:

• El coche es de Ana. — The car is Ana’s.
• El coche es de ellos. — The car is theirs.
• Este es el de Marta. — This one is Marta’s.

Quick rule

Use a possessive adjective with a noun:

• mi casa
• tus libros

Use a possessive pronoun when the noun is not repeated:

• La casa es mía.
• La tuya es más grande.
• Estos libros son míos.

Remember that forms such as mío, tuyo, and suyo agree with what is possessed, not with the person who owns it.