Possessive Determiners vs. Possessive Pronouns
In this unit, we’re going to learn about possessive determiners and possessive pronouns in European Portuguese, which both serve the function of expressing possession or ownership of something.
In English, these are words like my, your, his, her, their, and our (possessive determiners) and mine, yours, his, hers, theirs, and ours (possessive pronouns).
Possessive determiners precede the noun they are modifying. They tell you to whom a specific item belongs. For example, in the sentence It is my cat, you can tell that the word my is a determiner because it needs to be followed by a noun (cat). “It is my” would not be a complete sentence.
Possessive pronouns replace the noun they are modifying. They convey ownership without telling what exactly is being owned. For example, in the sentence It is mine, you can tell that the word mine is a possessive pronoun because it can stand on its own in place of a noun.
Portuguese Possessives
In Portuguese, possessive pronouns and possessive determiners make use of the same words: meu, teu, seu, nosso, vosso, plus their associated feminine and plural forms. As you will see below, this means that there are multiple possible translations for each possessive word.
To choose the correct possessive determiners and possessive pronouns in Portuguese, you can start by
(1) choosing the form that goes with the person possessing something, and then
(2) modifying that word to match the gender and number of the noun being possessed.
| Person | Determiner/Pronoun | English Translation |
| Eu | o meu / a minha / os meus / as minhas | my or mine |
| Tu | o teu / a tua / os teus / as tuas | your or yours (informal, singular) |
| Ele | o seu / a sua / os seus / as suas | his |
| Ela | o seu / a sua / os seus / as suas | her or hers |
| Você | o seu / a sua / os seus / as suas | your or yours (singular, formal) |
| Nós | o nosso / a nossa / os nossos / as nossas | our or ours |
| Vocês | o vosso / a vossa / os vossos / as vossas | your or yours (plural) |
| Eles / Elas | o seu / a sua / os seus / as suas | their or theirs |
It sounds confusing at first, but it will make more sense once you see some examples. Let’s break it down by Person to see how we modify each possessive form to agree with the noun in gender and number.
MY (1st person singular)
meu, meus, minha, minhas
Meu is used for masculine nouns, while minha is used for feminine nouns. Meus and minhas are the plural forms. Examples:
Foi o meu gato.That was my cat.
A minha tia deu-me uma prenda.My aunt gave me a present.
Os meus cachorrinhos são tão giros!My puppies are so cute!
Viste as minhas chaves?Have you seen my keys?
OUR (1st person plural)
nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas
Nosso is used for masculine nouns and nossa is used for feminine nouns. Nossos and nossas are the plural forms of nosso and nossa. All of them stand for “our” in English. Examples:
O nosso irmão está triste.Our brother is sad.
A nossa casa é fria no inverno.Our house is cold in the winter.
Os nossos carros precisam de ser reparados.Our cars need to be repaired.
As nossas primas foram à Suécia.Our cousins went to Sweden.
YOUR (2nd person singular, informal)
teu, teus, tua, tuas
Teu is used for masculine nouns, while tua is used for feminine nouns. Teus and tuas are the plural forms. This form of “your” refers to something belonging to a single person. It’s also more informal, so you would choose this form when you are speaking to someone you know well. With someone unfamiliar, or when trying to show respect, instead you would use forms of você, which is conjugated in the 3rd person (see the next section).
Examples of teu(s) and tua(s):
O teu primo é simpático.Your cousin is nice.
Aquela senhora é a tua mãe?Is that lady your mother?
Os teus tios vêm cá jantar.Your aunt and uncle are coming over for dinner.
Pus as tuas meias a lavar.I've put your socks in the wash.
YOUR (2nd person plural)
vosso, vossos, vossa, vossas
Vosso is used for masculine nouns and vossa is used for feminine nouns. Vossos and vossas are the plural forms. All of them stand for “your”(plural), when “your” refers to something belonging to more than one person. Examples:
Arrumem o vosso quarto!Clean your (pl.) room!
A vossa tia vai ao cinema.Your (pl.) aunt is going to the cinema.
Os vossos casacos estão na sala.Your (pl.) jackets are in the living room.
Pus tudo nas vossas malasI put everything in your (pl.) bags
In Portuguese, vosso, vossa, vossos, vossas, are usually used when addressing a group of people or someone who belongs to that group. It is also a (slightly) archaic but polite way of respectfully addressing someone.
HIS/HER/THEIR/YOUR (3rd person singular/plural and você)
seu, seus, sua, suas
Seu is used with masculine nouns, while sua is used with feminine nouns. Seus and suas are the plural forms. Any of these could actually mean “his”, “her”, “your”(sing.,formal), or “their”! You would need more context to know which is implied:
O seu carro ficou mal estacionado.His/her/your/their car wasn’t parked well.
A sua caldeirada de marisco é de morrer.His/her/your/their seafood stew is to die for.
Os seus sapatos são feitos à mão.His/her/your/their shoes are handmade.
As suas encomendas foram enviadas para trás.His/her/your/their packages were sent back.
Confusing right? Don’t worry… Later in the Possessives unit, we will also look at another more common way of forming 3rd person possessives, which is much less ambiguous!
Definite Articles & Possessives
As you hear and read more Portuguese, you may notice that sometimes a definite article (o, a, os, as) is used before a possessive (o meu, as minhas, etc.) and other times, it’s omitted (meu, minha, etc.). There are different guidelines depending on the role the possessive word plays in the sentence.
Considering it’s a fairly minor detail, let’s start with a condensed overview. This won’t cover every exception, but when in doubt, you can get through most contexts by remembering:
- Possessive determiners usually require a definite article
- Possessive pronouns usually do not require a definite article (except when they start a sentence)
- You can use a definite article when you want to emphasize a specific thing out of a group of things (i.e. THIS one is my book, not that one). It’s almost as if you’re saying “this is the one that is mine” rather than just “this is mine”.
- You can drop the definite article if the emphasis is on the possession itself (i.e. This is MY book, not your book), or if there is no special emphasis. (This is quite common!)
- For more details, read more about definite articles and possessives here
Learning More
We’ll cover each of these possessives in more detail throughout this unit and let you practice in the intervening lessons. Just to give you an preview of what’s to come, here are the topics we’ll cover:
O seu sofa should be his shouldn’t it and a sua caldeirada de marisco should be hers?
Hi, Gerald! It would make sense, but actually, “seu/sua” and “seus/suas” only agree with the respective noun, without giving any indication of the gender/number of the subject of the sentence. So, because “sofá” is a masculine noun, it’s always preceded by “seu”, even if the subject is one or many women. Same for “caldeirada”, which is feminine, and preceded by “sua” for that reason, even if the subject is male.
Here’s another Learning Note that explains how the Portuguese deal with this ambiguity: http://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/deles-and-delas-vs-seus-and-suas/
In the example ” os tuas tios vem ca jantar”, how do you know that it means Aunt and Uncle, rather than just Uncles?
Apologies for the lack of accents, this computer doesnt have them but I know they are there!
You don’t know! 🙂 The masculine is the default gender for any group of people as long as at least one man is present. So, without any context, you could translate “Os teus tios” as 1) “your aunt and uncle”, 2) “your aunts and uncle”, 3) “your aunt and uncles” or 4) “your uncles”. The chosen translation here is simply based on what might be the most common scenario. If you want to be absolutely clear, you could always say “A tua tia e o teu tio”.
Thanks Joseph 🙂
clearly described.
Clear enough with some and irregular verbs too !
When it comes to the 3rd person singular is it also OK to say “a sofá dela é muito comfortável” instead of “O sue sofá…..” ? Is this the same?
Obrigada,
Susan
oops sorry just saw your link explaining when to use dela versus sua, etc….
No problem! If you need any additional clarification, just say the word 🙂
If I understand correctly, the sentence, “O seu carro ficou mal estacionado.” Could be interpreted as “His/her/their car wasn’t parked well.”
Is that correct?
Correct, and also “Your (singular, formal) car wasn’t parked well”.
Hi, I had to check it out but ficou is translated in the wrong tense, or is there a reason that it means ‘is’ in this context?
Este é o seu livro. O meu livro ficou ali
Grammatically speaking, the closest translation to “O meu livro ficou ali” would be “My book stayed over there”. But people are more likely to say something like “I left my book over there” or just “My book is over there”, which is why the English translation doesn’t perfectly match what you see in Portuguese, even though the idea is indeed the same 🙂
Obrigado Joseph. Now it makes sense!
Patrick
De nada, Patrick!
Omit the article if the phrase functions as an appositive. (An appositive is a word or phrase that renames the initial noun. You usually see it between two commas.)
Would this be an example:
Esta é minha mae.
Olá, Mario. That’s not an appositive, so we would still say “Esta é a minha mãe” in European Portuguese. But these could be:
– A minha mãe, tua avó, chama-se Fernanda.
– O Pedro e o Tiago, meus colegas, são muito competentes.
Very interesting, I struggle with this myself! (When to omit these articles)
Okay, thanks!
Hello! I was wondering, in the example “Os seus sapatos são feitos à mão” can it also be interpreted as “their(elas) shoes”?
Hi Batul, Yes! It could mean His shoes, Her shoes, Your(formal) shoes, or Their(eles or elas) shoes. The form you use matches the gender and number of the noun, not the subject, so you would need context to know for sure. (Luckily there is also a less ambiguous way to talk about possession in the 3rd person that you will learn about later in this unit, i.e. using dele / deles / dela / delas)
I found this lesson most confusing. I understand that o seu and a sua have to agree with the following noun, but you just have to guess whether it is “his” or “hers”?
Yes, it could actually mean his, hers, yours (formal), or theirs. You wouldn’t know for sure without more context. Seems crazy at first, right? Luckily, people usually don’t use seu/sua/seus/suas unless the context is clear. For example, if you tell someone you got a new car and then they immediately say something about “o seu carro”, you could easily assume they mean “your car”. As you continue in this possessives unit, it will explain each of the possessives in more detail, including some learning notes on a much more common way to talk about possession in the 3rd person, which is using dele and dela. This will help A LOT to avoid the ambiguity. (But it’s still important to learn all the types because you will hear all of them.)
Oh ok i understand now, muito obrigada Molly! 🙂
Hi, i have a question 🙂
When do you say “a sua” or “as suas” when you refer to “ele”? I find it weird that it is feminine while “ele” is masculine.
I would appreciate it so much if you could explain this. The learning notes are so helpful by the way!
Hi, good question! Basically, if you are using seu (or its variations) it matches the gender and number of the item being possessed, not the person who possesses the item. So without further context, you don’t know whether seu/sua/seus/suas means his, her, your(formal), or their. You’ll find a much more detailed explanation in the other learning notes from this unit: Possessives. In particular, check out the two mentioning 3rd person possessives and the one about dele/dela vs seu/sua.
European Portuguese is a very complex language.
Hello! Thank you for providing some insight regarding when to use the definite articles in sentences containing possessive pronouns and determiners. Are there regional differences with respect to including the definite articles? My husband’s family comes from a small village close to Braga and we have never noticed his parents including a/as/o/os in sentences such as “O seu sofa é muito confortável.” They would not include the word “o” and would simply say “seu sofa ….”.
Rosanne
Hi! Presumably not, I would say. The differences should pretty much be between European and Brazilian Portuguese (also with variations across different regions of Brazil, which is a huge country). But there might be localized cases like this, especially considering you’re talking about a small village.
I‘ve been learning with Duolingo for some time. On one exercise I had to translate: „ours is a banana“
According to them, the right translation is: „A nossa é uma banana“, and „Nossa é uma banana“ could you help me understand why the first one is the correct one?
“A nossa é uma banana” is the appropriate translation because at the start of sentences, possessive pronouns are preceded by articles. The learning note was also updated with this detail 🙂
In this example, I don’t understand why the definite article is needed:
Fui almoçar com a minha família
From the descriptions, I thought this might emphasise MY family – ie “I had lunch with MY family (not YOUR family)”.
I assume “ Fui almoçar com minha família” would be incorrect?
Many thanks in advance!
Olá! The definite article is not mandatory in that example and is not added for emphasis – it’s just used by default in European Portuguese. In Brazilian Portuguese, the definite article is typically omitted, so they are likely to say (also correctly) “Fui almoçar com minha família”. It’s just one of those differences between European vs. Brazilian Portuguese.
I just finished lesson 8 and was puzzled by this sentence: “Elas são minhas filhas”. Why don’t you use an article before minhas? The pattern seems to dictate that there should be an “as” before the “minhas”. Are there other similar examples where the article is left out? Thank you!
Olá. It’s possible to write both “Elas são minhas filhas” and “Elas são as minhas filhas”. However, each of them has a different level of emphasis to it.
– With “Elas são minhas filhas”, you’re simply saying that these people are children of yours, with no special emphasis. It’s even possible that you have more children aside from the ones you’re talking about at the moment.
– With “Elas são as minhas filhas”, you’re really stressing that these are your kids. Maybe you’ve talked about them before and you finally have a chance to introduce them, or maybe there are more children around and you want to clearly identify which ones are yours. With this one, you may also be implying that these are all the children you have (or at least, all the daughters).
So, the choice between one and the other depends on context. In the absence of it, the most general option would be “Elas são minhas filhas.”
Now I’m confused. AHAH I thought I was ok with when to use the article based on my knowledge of Italian. I understand using ‘as’ in the above for emphasis ‘as minhas filhas’, but not understanding why you would NOT have the article here (emphasis or not). Isn’t the ‘minhas’ being a determiner in the statement; “Elas são minhas filhas.”? In Italian there is an exception for certain family members. Is leaving out the article here such an exception? Would ‘Elas são minhas malas’ be correct, or do I need the ‘…as minhas malas’ Obrigada!
Olá! Yes, people in general are kind of an exception. In European Portuguese, not only can we use subject pronouns for them (“tu”, “eles”, etc), but also have this possibility of omitting definite articles as explained in my previous comment. For example:
– Eu sou [o] teu amigo.
– Eles são [os] meus irmãos.
– Ele é [o] meu pai.
With objects, it’s a bit different, because first, we don’t use subject pronouns to refer to them, but demonstratives (este, esse, aquele). Then, we also have different possibilities in terms of word order. If we follow a similar word order as above (verb-article-possessive-noun), it’s not idiomatic to omit the article in European Portuguese. In a different word order (noun-verb-article-possessive), the article can be used or omitted following the same logic that was previously shared. Some examples:
1) Demonstrative + verb-article-possessive-noun
– Estes são os meus livros
– Aquele é o teu material
2) Demonstrative + noun-verb-article-possessive
– Estes livros são [os] meus
– Aquele material é [o] teu
So, we would never say “Elas são minhas malas”, but we could say “Estas são as minhas malas” or “Estas malas são [as] minhas”.
Perfeita! I’m back on track. Muito obrigada
Eu tenho o seu vestido branch
I have your white dress, is this correct?
Assuming that “branch” instead of “branco” was just a typo and that you’re being formal to the person you’re talking to, YES, it is correct:
Eu tenho o seu vestido branco. = I have your (sing. form.) white dress.
When being informal:
Eu tenho o teu vestido branco. = I have your (sing. inf.) white dress.
In the example provided, Este é o seu livro. O meu livro ficou ali. Why do you use the verb remain rather than is (ficou instead of está)?
Olá. Both options are perfectly fine and there’s no special reason for this choice. It’s all a matter of what’s appropriate in context and/or what you want to highlight. In this context, the speaker is somewhat highlighting the action of leaving the book in that place, rather than the simple state of it being there. But the sentence would work just as well with the verb ‘estar’ if that were not the intention (“O meu livro está ali”).