Pronouns and possessives · Pronombres y posesivos
Words that replace names
- Pronouns replace a name or noun, so we don't repeat it.
- Anna is nice. She is my friend.
- Possessives say who something belongs to: my, your, her…
Tom says, “Tom lost Tom’s pen.” Tom needs a pronoun.
Palabras que sustituyen nombres

- Los pronombres sustituyen un nombre o sustantivo, para no repetirlo.
- Anna is nice. She is my friend. (A Anna es amable. Ella es mi amiga).
- Los posesivos indican a quién pertenece algo: my, your, her… (mi, tu, de ella…)
Tom says, “Tom lost Tom’s pen.” Tom needs a pronoun. (Tom dice: «Tom perdió la pluma de Tom». Tom necesita un pronombre).
Subject pronouns
- I, you, he, she, it, we, they — they go before the verb.
- He is tall. We like music. They are here.
- Use it for things and animals; they for any plural.
Pronombres personales
- I, you, he, she, it, we, they — van antes del verbo.
- He is tall. We like music. They are here. (Él es alto. A nosotros nos gusta la música. Ellos están aquí).
- Usa it para cosas y animales; they para cualquier plural.
Which pronoun replaces “Anna”? · ¿Qué pronombre reemplaza a “Anna”?
Anna is a woman → she. · Anna es una mujer → she.
Possessive adjectives
- my, your, his, her, its, our, their — they go before a noun.
- This is my bag. Her name is Lucy.
- Careful: its = belonging to it; it's = it is.
Adjetivos posesivos
- my, your, his, her, its, our, their — van antes de un sustantivo.
- This is my bag. Her name is Lucy. (Este es mi bolso. Su nombre es Lucía).
- Cuidado: its = perteneciente a ello; it's = es él/ella/eso.
Subject pronoun or possessive? · ¿Pronombre personal o posesivo?
Subject pronouns do the action; possessives show who owns something. · Los pronombres personales realizan la acción; los posesivos indican a quién pertenece algo.
Complete with a possessive: This is ___ book. (I) · Completa con un posesivo: This is ___ book. (I)
I → my: “This is my book.”
Choose the possessive: The dog wags ___ tail. · Elige el posesivo: The dog wags ___ tail.
Possessive = its (no apostrophe). “it's” means “it is”. · Posesivo = its (sin apóstrofe). “it's” significa “it is”.
Translate into English: 这是我的包。 · Traduce al inglés: 这是我的包。
I → my: “This is my bag.”
Putting them together
- Pronoun does the action; possessive owns the noun.
- She loves her cat. We do our homework.
Juntándolos
- El pronombre realiza la acción; el posesivo posee el sustantivo.
- She loves her cat. We do our homework. (A ella le encanta su gato. Nosotros hacemos nuestra tarea).
Common mistakes
- ❌ My mother is kind. He is a teacher. → ✓ She is a teacher. — he = man, she = woman.
- ❌ Me is tired. → ✓ I am tired. — the subject word is I.
- ❌ This is she book. → ✓ This is her book. — use her before a noun.
- ❌ My friend he is tall. → ✓ My friend is tall. — say the subject only once.
Errores comunes
- ❌ My mother is kind. He is a teacher. → ✓ She is a teacher. — he = hombre, she = mujer.
- ❌ Me is tired. → ✓ I am tired. — la palabra del sujeto es I.
- ❌ This is she book. → ✓ This is her book. — usa her antes de un sustantivo.
- ❌ My friend he is tall. → ✓ My friend is tall. — di el sujeto solo una vez.
Match the pronoun to its possessive word. · Une el pronombre con su palabra posesiva.
The possessive goes before a noun: my book, his bag, her name, their house. · El posesivo va antes de un sustantivo: my book, his bag, her name, their house.
My father is a doctor. ___ is very busy.
father → he. Take a second to check he / she when you speak. · father → he. Tómate un segundo para verificar he / she cuando hables.
- Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they (before the verb).
- Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (before a noun).
- its (belongs to it) ≠ it's (it is).
- Pronombres personales: I, you, he, she, it, we, they (antes del verbo).
- Posesivos: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (antes de un sustantivo).
- its (perteneciente a ello) ≠ it's (es él/ella/eso).
Write one sentence about a family member, using a possessive (my, his, her…). For example: “My sister …”. · Escribe una oración sobre un miembro de la familia, usando un posesivo (my, his, her…). Por ejemplo: “My sister …”.
Example: “My brother is ten years old.” · Ejemplo: “My brother is ten years old.”