Possessive words and agreement

In brief

Possessive words show who something belongs to. In Brazilian Portuguese, their endings match the thing owned: meu livro (my book), but minha casa (my house).

Form

Before a noun: meu/minha/meus/minhas (my); seu/sua/seus/suas (your). Choose the form to match the noun’s gender and number. Dele/dela (his/her) comes after the noun.

Usage

• Use meu or seu with masculine singular nouns, minha or sua with feminine singular nouns; add -s for plural nouns.
• Seu/sua can also mean ‘his’ or ‘her’. Use dele or dela after the noun when you want to make the owner clear.
• In Brazil, both meu livro and o meu livro are natural; the article is often optional before a possessive.

Examples

• Meu livro está aqui. — My book is here.
• Minha irmã mora aqui. — My sister lives here.
• Onde estão suas chaves? — Where are your keys?
• O carro dela é novo. — Her car is new.

Common mistake

❌ meu casa

✅ minha casa

Casa is feminine, so ‘my’ takes the feminine form minha, regardless of who owns the house.

Remember

Match the possessive to the thing owned, not to its owner.