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.
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 |
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)
- For masculine objects, singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + mío(s)
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)
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + tuyo(s)
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)
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suyo(s)
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)
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + nuestro(s)
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)
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + vuestro(s)
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)
- For masculine objects, either singular or plural, use:
subject + verb ser + suyo(s)
Quiz
1/4¿Estas llaves son ____ ? (de vosotros)