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4.7: Expressing Posession

  • Page ID
    44552
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    In English, possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, & our.

    In Spanish, possessive adjectives go before the noun (just like in English), but we have to account for plurality (and gender for a couple of the forms).

    Mi carro es rojo. (Notice how everything is singular throughout the sentence).

    Mis perros son grandes. (Notice how everything is plural throughout the sentence).


    clipboard_e591c2968aaa018bf63ccda1e0fd509ac.png

    Actividad 19

    Rellenar el espacio. Fill in the blank to complete each expression using a possessive adjective.

    1. ________ madre (formal your)` 11. ________ carro (his)

    2. ________ casa (our) 12. ________ casa (her)

    3. ________ clases (informal your) 13. ________ clases (plural your, LatAm)

    4. ________ mejor amigo (informal your) 14. ________ clases (plural your, España)

    5. ________ gato (my) 15. ________ problemas (his)

    6. ________ amigas (our) 16. ________ carro (Their)

    7. ________ programas (its) 17. ________ amigos (her)

    8. ________ auto (our) 18. ___________amigos (my)

    9. ________ perros (our) 19. ________ gatos (Their)

    10. ________ padres (formal your) 20. ________ casa (plural your, LatAm)

    Actividad 20

    ¡A traducir! Translate the sentences from English to Spanish. Be sure to include a possessive adjective in your response.

    1. His house is big.

    ________

    2. Her books are interesting.

    ________

    3. Our car is black.

    ________

    4. Your (plural, LatAm) country (país) is beautiful.

    ________

    5. Their dog is very social (sociable).

    ________

    There is no possessive “S” in Spanish like there is in English.

    This is a very hard habit to break for native English speakers, so put in the extra effort.

    To express the same idea, we have to follow a strict formula to communicate possession:

    Definite Article + (the possession) + de + (person’s name or title)

    My mom’s car = el carro de mi mamá.

    Julia’s boyfriend = el novio de Julia.

    Antonio’s job = el trabajo de Antonio

    My grandma’s cookies = las galletas de mi abuela

    My dog’s toys = los juguetes de mi perro

    5254405013_a4dc95a499_b.jpg Las galletas de mi abuela son mejores que las galletas de tu abuela.

    Actividad 21

    ¡A traducir! Translate these English phrases that use the possessive S into Spanish using “de.”

    1. María Alejandra’s cat

    ________

    2. My girlfriend’s classes

    ________

    3. Julio’s car

    ________

    4. My students’ exams

    ________

    5. My dad’s job

    ________

    Actividad 22

    La lectura. Read the following paragraph, then write a brief summary in English.


    Los perros de mi abuela se llaman Cookie y Monster. Ellos son pomeranios. La personalidad de Cookie es muy buena. Ella es cariñosa y sensible. Pasa todo el día durmiendo en el sofá de mi abuela y mi abuela la quiere mucho. Sin embargo, su hermano es muy diferente. La personalidad de Monster no es muy buena. Él tiene mucha energía y come todas las pantuflas (slippers) de mi abuela. También, Monster destruye todos los juguetes (toys) de Cookie. Sin embargo y a pesar de todas sus travesuras, mi abuela lo quiere mucho también.

    245469507_ab6af6623d_b.jpg


    This page titled 4.7: Expressing Posession is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Erin Huebener (Independent) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.