Possessives     | Grammar Index |
  

In English, possession is most often indicated by use of an apostrophe ( ' ) + s ('s) with the noun, for example, "the professor's computer." But, while somewhat awkward in English, it can also be phrased as "the computer of the professor." Because there is no comparative form for the apostrophe ( ' ) + s in Portuguese, a form comparable to saying in English "the computer of the professor" is used. In written Brazilian Portuguese, the possessive adjective is most often always preceded by the definite article. In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the definite article is dropped and rarely used.
 
m-singular f-singular m-plural f-plural English
o meu a minha os meus as minhas my/mine (polite/formal)
meu minha meu minhas my/mine (informal)
o teu (p) a tua os teus as tuas your/yours (familiar singular)
o seu a sua os seus as suas his/her/hers/its/your/yours (polite/formal)
seu sua seus suas his/her/hers/its/your/yours (informal)
o nosso a nossa os nossos as nossas our/ours  (polite/formal)
nosso nossa nossos nossas our/ours  (informal)
a vosso (p) a vossa os vossos as vossas your/yours (formal familiar plural)
o seu a sua os seus as suas their/theirs/your/yours (polite/formal)
seu sua seus suas their/theirs/your/yours (informal)
(p) = Portugal

Possessive adjectives must always agree in both gender and number (singular or plural) with the accompanying noun — the possessor:

Onde ésta o nosso carro?
Where is our car?

O seu carro está lá mas os seus pneus foram roubados.
Your car is there but your tires have been stolen.
 

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