Question

When do you use singular possessive adjectives and when do you use plural possessive adjectives? How is this different from how we use these same words (mine, yours, his, hers, theirs) in English?

The question is for Spanish adjectives but the answer in english

Answer 1

My / Mi (Spanish) vs. My (English):

Spanish: Mi libro (My book)

English: My book

Your / Tu (Spanish) vs. Your (English):

Spanish: Tu coche (Your car)

English: Your car

His, Her, Its / Su (Spanish) vs. His, Her, Its (English):

Spanish: Su casa (His/Her/Its house)

English: His/Her/Its house

Plural Possessive Adjectives:

Our / Nuestro(a) (Spanish) vs. Our (English):

Spanish: Nuestros amigos (Our friends)

English: Our friends

Your / Vuestro(a) (Spanish) vs. Your (English):

Spanish: Vuestro perro (Your dog - addressing multiple people)

English: Your dog

Their / Su (Spanish) vs. Their (English):

Spanish: Sus mochilas (Their backpacks)

English: Their backpacks

In Spanish, possessive adjectives need to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that if the noun is masculine, the possessive adjective will also be masculine, and if the noun is feminine, the possessive adjective will be feminine. Additionally, if the noun is plural, the possessive adjective needs to be plural as well.

For example, if we want to say "their books" in Spanish, we would say "sus libros" (masculine plural) if referring to a mixed group or a group of masculine nouns, and "sus libros" (feminine plural) if referring to a group of feminine nouns. In English, "their books" is used regardless of the gender or number of the nouns.

So, the main difference is the agreement in gender and number that exists in Spanish but not in English when using possessive adjectives with nouns.