CSG264

Unit 21

Possessive and Demonstrative Ad|ectives and Pronouns

Possessive Adjeetives and Pronouns

There are several ways of expressing possession both in Spanish and in English. The phrase the Capital of the United States and its equivalent la Capital de los Estados Unidos rely on similar preposi-tions, of and de, to indicate possession. Another way of expressing possession is with possessive adjectives and pronouns. Like other adjectives, possessive adjectives, which precede the noun they mod-ify, limit the meaning of a noun: my pen, your breakfast.

Possessive pronouns have a similar relationship to the nouns they replace: “Not my pet, just yours.” The possessive forms belong to a group ofwords called deteriniiiantes in Spanish.

Mis amigos preparan una fiesta de cumpleańos. Estas sandalias no son nhas, son tuyas.

M y friends prepare a birthday party.

These sandals are not minę; they are yours.

In the examples above, the possessive forms reveal the person with whom the idea of possession is associated. Mis and nhas refer to yo; tuyas indicates that the person tu owns the object sandalias. Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns agree with their noun (= the object owned) in gender and in number.

Possessive Adjeetive Forms:

The Short Forms and the Long Forms

There are two forms of the possessive adjectives (los adjetivos pose-sivos)—the short forms and the long forms. They all must agree in gender and in number with the items, ideas, etc., owned.

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