Possessive pronouns in Spanish 1

Possessive pronouns — the long forms stand alone — Possessive pronouns replace a noun + possessive adjective: el mío/la mía/los míos/las mías (mine), el tuyo/a (yours), el suyo/a (his/hers/yours formal/theirs), el nuestro/a (ours). They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace: ¿Es tu coche? — No, el mío es rojo.

After ser — article often drops — After ser, the article is usually omitted: Este libro es mío (not el mío). But the article returns for contrast or emphasis: Este es el mío, no el tuyo. In exclamations, no article: ¡Dios mío! ¡Madre mía!

El suyo — four possible meanings — El suyo / la suya / los suyos / las suyas can refer to his, her, your (formal), or their depending on context. When the meaning is ambiguous, replace with el de + noun/pronoun: el de él, el de usted, el de ellas. The article and noun gender still agree with the thing possessed, not the owner.