In Brazilian Portuguese, you can express possession in a few different ways:
using de(of) +
Este livro é da Ana.
This is Ana’s book.
lit. This book is of the Ana.
using possessive adjectives like meu(my) or seu(his/her)
(O) meu carro é verde.
My car is green.
using possessive pronouns like o meu(mine)
O meu é verde.
Mine is green.
In this post, we’ll focus on possessive pronouns and adjectives. As you can see in the example above, the forms of possessive adjectives and pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are the same — (o) meu can be either “my” or “mine” — and for this reason they are sometimes just called “possessives.” However, the two types of possessives do follow different rules!
Below, we will review the forms of possessives, the differences between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives, and how to use each type in Brazilian Portuguese. Curious to know more? Stay tuned and keep reading!
Possessive adjectives are words placed before a noun and used to indicate possession. Like in English, a possessive relationship can be ownership (e.g. “my hat”) but it can also indicate other close relationships (e.g. “my mother”).
Like in English, possessive adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese take on different forms depending on the person who owns the noun or has the relationship with the noun (e.g. “our” vs. “your”). But in Brazilian Portuguese, possessive adjectives must also agree in gender and number with the possessed noun.
Este é o meu computador.
This is my computer.
Meus pais estão de férias.
My parents are on vacation.
Take a look at the table below to see all the different forms of possessive adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese:
Subject pronouns | Possessive Adjective | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | English | |||
singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
eu(I) | meu | meus | minha | minhas | my |
tu(you) | teu | teus | tua | tuas | your (sg.) |
você(you, sg.) | seu | seus | sua | suas | your (sg.) |
ele, ela(he, she, it) | seu | seus | sua | suas | his, her, its |
dele | dela | of him/her/it | |||
nós(we) | nosso | nossos | nossa | nossas | our |
vós(you, pl.) | vosso | vossos | vossa | vossas | your (pl.) |
vocês(you, pl.) | seu | seus | sua | suas | your (sg.) |
eles, elas(they) | seu | seus | sua | suas | their |
deles | delas | of them | |||
Though, in modern Brazilian Portuguese, the subject pronouns tu and vós are only used in very formal situations, people do still sometimes use the possessive adjectives formed from these pronouns — teu(s), tua(s), vosso(s), vossa(s).
Vosso amigo está te esperando lá fora.
Your friend is waiting for you outside.
When there is more than one noun possessed, the possessive adjective agrees with the closest noun:
Está frio. As nossas mãos e pés estão congelando.
It is cold. Our hands and feet are freezing.
Unlike English, it is optional to use a definite article (a, o, as, os(the)) before the possessive adjective in Brazilian Portuguese. However, this is completely optional.
Let’s take a closer look at a few specific forms on this list that can cause some confusion.
The possessive adjectives seu, seus, sua, and suas can be used for many different kinds of possessors:
singular (você) → “your”
second person plural (vocês) → “your”
singular (ele, ela) → “his, her, its”
third person plural (eles, elas) → “their”
In order to keep your meaning clear, there are a few things to keep in mind when using this possessive.
If you want to say “your”...
The possessive adjective seu(s), sua(s) is generally used to say “your” in the singular or plural, in cases when the owner of the noun would be expressed using você or vocês.
O seu livro está no meu quarto.
Your book is in my room.
However, in some parts of Brazil, you can alternatively use the possessive adjectives that correspond to the subject pronoun tu to express “your” — teu(s) or tua(s) — even for people who you would ordinarily refer to using você(s).
O teu livro está no meu quarto.
Your book is in my room.
If you want to say “his,” “her,” “its,” or “their”...
Officially, the possessive adjective seu(s), sua(s) is used to say “his,” “her,” “its,” or “their.”
However, in Brazilian Portuguese, we typically use the possessive forms dele(s)(of him/of them) and dela(s)(of her/of them) instead. These forms both make it clear that you have a third-person possessor, and clarify whether the owner is singular or plural, masculine or feminine! Compare:
A sua bicicleta está quebrada.
✅ Your bicycle is broken.
✅ His bicycle is broken.
✅ Her bicycle is broken.
✅ Their bicycle is broken.
A bicicleta dele está quebrada.
His bicycle is broken.
lit. The bicycle of him is broken.
As you can see in the example above, dele(s) and dela(s) are always placed after the noun.
Let’s now take a look at the position of possessive adjectives in the sentence!
In general, possessive adjectives are placed before the possessed noun, as in the examples show:
o teu livro
your book
as nossas mãos
our hands
a sua bicicleta
your bicycle
However, there are some special cases where a possessive adjective can be placed after the noun instead. Let’s take a look at them below!
The possessive adjective can optionally be placed after the noun if the definite article has been omitted. Check out the different ways to say “We were waiting for your email.”
With the article
✅ Esperávamos o seu e-mail.
❌ Esperávamos o e-mail seu.
Without the article
✅ Esperávamos seu e-mail.
✅ Esperávamos e-mail seu.
Remember, it is generally optional to use the definite article with possessive adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese, so there is no significant meaning difference between the sentences above.
If a noun is already marked by another , like an indefinite article, a demonstrative, or an indefinite pronoun, the possessive adjective will usually be placed after the noun.
For example:
Eu recebi uma carta tua.
I received a letter from you.
When you ask a question, you can place the possessive adjective after the noun, as in:
Você está preocupado, ou é impressão minha?
You are worried, or is it my impression?
You can also choose to emphasize the noun by placing the possessive adjective after it.
Carlos, você é amigo meu!
Carlos, you are my friend!
In this case, I am talking to Carlos and emphasizing that he is really my friend, so I have placed the possessive adjective meu after the noun amigo.
The words próprio/a(s)(own) and mesmo/a(s)(own) are used alongside possessive adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese to reinforce, emphasize, or clarify the possessor:
Vi com os meus próprios olhos.
I saw it with my own eyes.
Ele é mesmo meu irmão. / Ele é meu irmão mesmo.
He is really my brother.
Just like possessive adjectives, the form of próprio/a(s) or mesmo/a(s) must agree with the noun in gender and number.
Possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession or relationship, like possessive adjectives, but instead of modifying a noun in the sentence, they replace the noun entirely. Using possessive pronouns is helpful when you want to avoid redundancy by not repeating the noun.
Minha casa é grande, a sua é pequena.
My house is big, yours is small.
The forms of possessive pronouns are exactly the same as the forms of possessive adjectives, except that they are always used with a definite article.
Subject pronouns | Possessive Pronoun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | English | |||
singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
eu(I) | o meu | os meus | a minha | as minhas | mine |
tu(you) | o teu | os teus | a tua | as tuas | yours (sg.) |
você(you, sg.) | o seu | os seus | a sua | as suas | yours (sg.) |
ele, ela(he, she, it) | o seu | os seus | a sua | as suas | his, hers, its |
dele | dela | of him/her/it | |||
nós(we) | o nosso | os nossos | a nossa | as nossas | ours |
vós*(you, pl.) | o vosso | os vossos | a vossa | as vossas | yours (pl.) |
vocês(you, pl.) | o seu | os seus | a sua | as suas | yours (pl.) |
eles, elas(they) | o seu | os seus | a sua | as suas | theirs |
deles | delas | of them | |||
Let’s take a look at a few more examples:
Devolveram todas avaliações, menos as minhas.
They returned all (the) reviews, except mine.
Meu amigo é o da direita, o seu o da esquerda.
My friend is the one on the right, yours the one on the left.
Like with possessive adjectives, you can also replace the possessive pronouns o(s) seu(s) and a(s) sua(s) with the expressions dele(s) and dela(s):
O gato é o seu.
The cat is hers.
O gato é dela.
The cat is hers.
In this post, we’ve covered how to express possession in Brazilian Portuguese using possessive pronouns and adjectives. We saw that…
Possessive adjectives are generally used before nouns. The form reveals the person and number of the owner, but they agree in gender and number with the noun they are modifying (the possessed noun), as in:
o meu cachorro
my dog
a minha mãe
my mother
We also saw that…
Possessive adjectives for tu and você are often used interchangeably in Brazil: o teu cabelo = seu cabelo(your hair).
You can use the dele(s), dela(s)(of him, her, it) forms in the third person, if the seu(s), sua(s)(his, her, its, your) form is not specific enough.
The definite article can optionally be added before possessive adjectives.
There are a few cases where possessive adjectives can be placed after the noun.
Possessive pronouns have almost the same form as possessive adjectives, but, in this case, the definite article is required, because the noun is being replaced:
Devolveram todas avaliações, menos as minhas.
They returned all (the) reviews, except mine.
Now that you understand how to express possession in Brazilian Portuguese, practice using possessive adjectives and pronouns with these activities!
