Possessive Adjectives (Long Forms) Sr. Peterson – January 29th, 2019

How do we show possession in Spanish? In Spanish 1, you learned that you can show possession in Spanish by using de + noun / pronoun (el caballo de mis tíos/de ellos). In addition, you can show possession using the short-form possessive adjectives: mi(s), tu(s), su(s), nuestro(s), vuestro(s), vuestra(s). Finally, there are also long-form (or stressed) possessive adjectives…

Possessive Adjectives (Long Forms)

*The long-form possessive adjectives are placed after the noun that they agree with in number and gender. Examples: Esa es la vaca mía.  That is my cow. ¿Es ese el burro tuyo?  Is that your donkey? Este es el gallo nuestro.  This is our rooster. ¿Son estos los conejos suyos?  Are these his/her/your rabbits? Todos esos son animales nuestros.  All of those are our animals.

*The possessive adjectives also may be used immediately after a form of the verb ser. Example: ¿Son tuyos?  Are they yours? Sí, son míos.  Yes, they are mine.

*To clarify the meaning of a sentence containing suyo(s), suya(s), it may sometimes be necessary to substitute a phrase that uses de followed by a prepositional pronoun. Example: ¿Son las ovejas suyas?  ¿Son las ovejas de él / de ella / de Ud. / de ellos / de ellas / de Uds.? (Are the sheep his/hers/yours/theirs/yours?)

*Lastly, possessive pronouns may be used in place of a possessive adjective and a noun. They are formed by placing a definite article in front of the long-form possessive adjectives. Observe how possessive pronouns are used in the following sentences… Veo tu toro y el mío también.  I see your bull and mine, too. Mis ovejas están gordas y también lo están las tuyas.  My sheep are fat and so are yours. ¿Es ese pavo el nuestro?  Is that turkey ours? Nuestros gallos son esos y los suyos son estos.  Our roosters are (those ones) over there and his/hers/yours are (these ones) over here.

Práctica Libro de práctica (WB) – páginas 84-85 Let’s do the first one on each page, as a class!

Página 84 Este es mi burro.  This (one) is my donkey. You need to use the correct long-form possessive adjective to say… “This donkey es mine.” Answer = Este burro es mío. Why use mío?  The word burro is singular and masculine.

Página 85 *This page is a little more challenging! ¿Es este tu burro? (marrón) You need to use the correct long-form possessive adjective and provided characteristic in each of your responses. You want to say, “No, mine is brown.” Answer = No, el mío es marron. Why use mio?  Again, the word burro is singular and masculine. Be sure to use the definite article in each response.