B1 Spanish GrammarGenitive Case
Learn to express possession and relationships between nouns in Spanish using 'de' (of). Understand the possessive construction with 'de', double possessives, and the important structure 'el/la de'. Master how Spanish handles what English expresses with possessive 's and genitive forms.
1Possession with 'de'
Spanish expresses possession with de + noun, equivalent to English 's or of. The structure is: thing possessed + de + possessor. Unlike English, the possessor always comes second: 'Maria's book' becomes 'el libro de María'. The article agrees with the possessed item, not the possessor.
English vs Spanish Possession
| English | Spanish | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| John's car | el coche de Juan | thing + de + owner |
| the dog's food | la comida del perro | la + de + el = del |
| the children's room | la habitación de los niños | thing + de + owners |
| my friend's house | la casa de mi amigo | thing + de + possessor |
Examples
El hermano de María es médico.
Maria's brother is a doctor.
de María = Maria's
Las llaves del coche están aquí.
The car keys are here.
de + el = del
La capital de España es Madrid.
The capital of Spain is Madrid.
de for belonging/association
Los padres de mis amigos vinieron.
My friends' parents came.
plural possessors
2El de, La de, Los de, Las de
The construction el/la/los/las + de replaces a noun to avoid repetition. It means 'the one(s) of' or 'that of'. The article agrees with the noun it replaces: 'Mi coche es rojo. El de Ana es azul' (Mine is red. Ana's is blue).
Definite Article + de
| Replaced Noun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| el coche (m.s.) | el de Juan | Juan's (car) |
| la casa (f.s.) | la de María | Maria's (house) |
| los libros (m.pl.) | los de Pedro | Pedro's (books) |
| las llaves (f.pl.) | las del hotel | the hotel's (keys) |
Examples
Mi casa es grande, pero la de Pedro es pequeña.
My house is big, but Pedro's is small.
la de = Pedro's (house)
Estos zapatos son los de mi madre.
These shoes are my mother's.
los de = my mother's (shoes)
Mi opinión es diferente de la de Juan.
My opinion is different from Juan's.
la de = Juan's (opinion)
Prefiero el café de Colombia al de Brasil.
I prefer Colombian coffee to Brazilian.
el de = coffee of/from
3Double Possessives
Spanish sometimes uses both a possessive adjective and de + noun for emphasis or clarification: 'un amigo mío' (a friend of mine), 'esa idea tuya' (that idea of yours). This is called the double possessive. It's also used when the possessive follows the noun.
Double Possessive Forms
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| un/una + noun + mío/mía | un amigo mío | a friend of mine |
| un/una + noun + tuyo/tuya | una idea tuya | an idea of yours |
| un/una + noun + suyo/suya | un libro suyo | a book of his/hers |
| un/una + noun + nuestro/a | un vecino nuestro | a neighbor of ours |
Examples
Un amigo mío trabaja allí.
A friend of mine works there.
emphatic/indefinite possession
Esa idea tuya es brillante.
That idea of yours is brilliant.
demonstrative + double possessive
Unos primos nuestros viven en México.
Some cousins of ours live in Mexico.
plural double possessive
Ese problema suyo es complicado.
That problem of his is complicated.
suyo after noun
4Other Uses of 'de'
De has many uses beyond possession: material (de madera = wooden), origin (de España = from Spain), content (vaso de agua = glass of water), purpose (ropa de trabajo = work clothes), and characteristics (hombre de negocios = businessman). Context determines the meaning.
Different Uses of 'de'
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Material | mesa de madera | wooden table |
| Origin | vino de Francia | wine from France |
| Content | taza de café | cup of coffee |
| Purpose | máquina de escribir | typewriter |
| Characteristic | hombre de pelo negro | black-haired man |
Examples
Compré una camisa de seda.
I bought a silk shirt.
de for material
Mi profesora de español es de Argentina.
My Spanish teacher is from Argentina.
de for subject and origin
Necesito las llaves de la oficina.
I need the office keys.
de for association
Es una mujer de carácter fuerte.
She's a woman of strong character.
de for characteristic