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 we talk about possession, we may mean that someone owns an object, but this is not always the case. Possessive determiners can also refer to people related to you, such as family, friends, and partners.
Therefore, tonic possessive determiners tend to express information about someone related to another person. These determiners can be used in constructions that appear consistently — in other words, that appear in chunks — while making a few adjustments, which makes it easier to know how and when to use them.
Here is the construction:
| determiner + | noun + | tonic possessive determiner |
Let us show you to use it with all six possessive determiners.
When the Owner Is the First Person Singular (yo)
Rule 1. When the person being spoken about is related to the first person (yo), you can use any of the following options.
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + mía(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + mío(s)
When the Owner Is the Second Person Singular (tú)
Rule 2. When the person being spoken about is related to the second person (tú), you can use any of the following options.
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + tuya(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + tuyo(s)
As you can see from the examples, the phrase can be used in questions and can be placed at the end or the beginning of a sentence.
When the Owner Is the Third Person Singular (él, ella, usted)
Rule 3. When the person being spoken about is related to any of the third person singular (él, ella, usted), you can use any of the following options:
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + suya(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + suyo(s)
When the Owner Is the First Person Plural (nosotros, nosotras)
Rule 4. When the person being spoken about is related to the first person plural (nosotros, nosotras), you will use any of the following options.
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + nuestra(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + nuestro(s)
When the Owner Is the Second Person Plural (vosotros, vosotras)
Rule 5. When the object being spoken about is related to the third person plural (vosotros, vosotras), you will use any of the following options.
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + vuestra(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + vuestro(s)
When the Owner Is the Third Person Plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes)
Rule 6. When the person being spoken about is related to the third person plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes), you will use any of the following options.
- For feminine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(as) + (feminine noun) + suya(s)
- For masculine nouns, singular or plural, use:
un(os) + (masculine noun) + suyo(s)
Quiz
1/3Una prima ____ conoce a mi hermano. (de ella)