Possession
Who or what does it belong to?
Meaning
Possession shows who or what someone or something belongs to or is closely connected with. It can link an object to its owner, a child to a parent, or a book to its writer. Languages use endings, separate words, or word order, and some have no possession endings. Part and whole focuses on pieces or members of something, while Possession also covers ownership and other close connections.
How to spot it
Look for a link that identifies whose something is or who it is closely connected with, even when no one owns it.
In your native language
English often places the owner before the noun, as in my bag or Emma's bag. Forms such as mine and hers stand without a following noun, while of links many other connections, as in the name of the street. Have expresses possession in a sentence, as in I have a bike.
This is my seat.
My comes before the noun; the is not used with it.
Emma's brother lives nearby.
The 's marks a family connection, not ownership.
That blue bag is mine.
Mine stands on its own without a following noun.
In your learning language
Spanish links an owner or another closely connected person to a noun with possessives such as mi and su, or with de after the noun. Mi and su match the number of things possessed; nuestro and forms such as mío also match whether the noun is masculine or feminine. Su can refer to several different owners, so a phrase such as de Lucía can make the owner clear.
Estas son mis llaves.
These are my keys.
Mis is plural because llaves is plural.
La bicicleta de Lucía está en el patio.
Lucía's bicycle is in the courtyard.
Esta mochila es mía.
This backpack is mine.
Mía is feminine because mochila is feminine, regardless of who owns it.
Learners whose language marks possession on the noun may omit the separate possessive word. Learners whose language makes possessives match the owner may choose the wrong form: mía describes a feminine thing, not a female owner.