How to say “My”, “Your”, and “Our” in Portuguese basics

Introduction

Understanding how to say my, your, and our in Brazilian Portuguese is one of the first steps to making sentences that sound natural. This guide explains possessive adjectives and pronouns, agreement with gender and number, everyday examples, common mistakes, and beginner tips so you can use meu, seu, nosso and their forms confidently.

Possessive basics: adjectives vs. pronouns

There are two main ways to show possession in Portuguese: possessive adjectives that sit before a noun and possessive pronouns that replace a noun. For beginners, focus first on possessive adjectives because they are used most often in simple conversations.

Possessive adjectives must agree with the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the thing owned, not with the owner. For example, the word for my changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, and singular or plural.

Portuguese possessive adjective charts

First person singular (my): meu, minha, meus, minhas

Second person common formal/informal (your): Brazilian Portuguese frequently uses seu, sua, seus, suas for ‘your’ in both formal and informal contexts, but also uses teu, tua, teus, tuas in regions or with very close friends and family when tú is the subject pronoun.

First person plural (our): nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas

How agreement works: gender and number

Here are simple rules to follow. If the noun you are describing is masculine singular, use the masculine singular form. If it is feminine plural, use the feminine plural form. The owner does not change the form.

Examples:

meu carro – my car (carro is masculine singular)

minha casa – my house (casa is feminine singular)

meus livros – my books (livros is masculine plural)

minhas chaves – my keys (chaves is feminine plural)

Practice sentences for my

Eu gosto do meu café.

Onde está a minha bolsa?

Estes são os meus amigos.

Essas são as minhas mochilas.

Your in Brazilian Portuguese: formal and informal

Brazilian Portuguese uses two approaches for your, and beginners should be aware of both. The most commonly used form in spoken Brazilian Portuguese is seu/sua etc., which is neutral and can mean his, her, your (formal) or their depending on context. Teu/tua etc. is used with the informal subject pronoun tú or in certain regions and situations.

Using seu/sua

seu and sua agree with the noun that belongs to someone. Because they are ambiguous, Brazilians often add clarity by including a subject or name after the noun or by using the construction com + noun. Examples below show natural ways to avoid confusion.

Examples:

sua casa – your house / his house / her house (context clarifies)

Essa é a sua caneta? – Is this your pen?

Ela trouxe a sua sacola. – She brought her bag. (context: ela)

O que tem na sua mochila do João? – What is in João’s backpack? (adds owner name)

Using teu/tua

teu and tua pair with tú. Many learners will rarely need teu unless learning regional speech or speaking with intimates. Examples:

Essa é a tua camisa? – Is that your shirt? (informal)

Onde estão os teus livros? – Where are your books? (informal)

Our in Portuguese: nosso/nossa

To say our, use nosso with masculine nouns and nossa with feminine nouns, and add -s when plural. This is straightforward because our refers to a group including the speaker.

Examples:

nosso apartamento – our apartment

nossa família – our family

nossos planos – our plans

nossas férias – our vacations

Possessive pronouns: replacing nouns

Possessive pronouns replace nouns and agree with the thing possessed. In practice, Brazilians often keep the noun for clarity, but you will see pronouns used too. The pronouns match the adjective forms and often follow a definite article.

Examples replacing a noun:

Este livro é meu. – This book is mine.

Essa casa é sua. – That house is yours.

A mochila é nossa. – The backpack is ours.

Everyday contexts and realistic examples

Here are phrases and short dialogues you might hear or need in daily life: at a café, on a bus, at a store, or messaging a friend. These are practical and beginner-friendly.

At a café:

Garçom, este é o meu pedido. – Waiter, this is my order.

Posso usar a sua mesa? – Can I use your table?

Ai, esqueci a minha carteira. – Oh, I forgot my wallet.

In a message to a friend:

Você tem o número do seu irmão? – Do you have your brother’s number?

Vamos levar a nossa câmera. – Let’s take our camera.

At a bus stop or station:

Esse é o meu ônibus? – Is this my bus?

Onde está a sua passagem? – Where is your ticket?

On a form or sign:

Nome do responsável: __________________

Telefone do seu contato de emergência: __________________

Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Confusing gender agreement. Always look at the noun, not the owner. Use meu for masculine nouns and minha for feminine nouns.

2. Using seu without context and causing ambiguity. Clarify by adding a name or using a phrase like do João, da Maria, or adding eu/ela/ele when necessary.

3. Overusing teu where most Brazilians would say seu. Learn regional norms: in many places você + seu is the norm.

4. Forgetting plural forms. When the noun is plural, change the possessive to meus/minhas, seus/suas, nossos/nossas.

5. Mixing subject pronouns and possessive forms incorrectly. For example, do not say eu meu carro; say o meu carro or meu carro.

Quick correction examples

Incorrect: Eu meu carro está aqui.

Correct: O meu carro está aqui. or Meu carro está aqui.

Ambiguous: Onde está a sua mala?

Clear: Onde está a sua mala do Pedro? or Onde está a mala dele?

Beginner tips for practice

1. Label items at home. Put small notes with meu or minha and the item name to internalize gender. For example, minha geladeira on the fridge.

2. Make simple sentences about your day using possessives. Example: Minha aula começa às oito. or Meu almoço foi bom.

3. Listen and repeat short dialogues. Focus on how Brazilians use seu in context and how they clarify ownership.

4. Practice with a partner: ask and answer Where is your X? and answer using the correct agreement. Example: Onde está o seu passaporte? — O meu passaporte está em casa.

5. Use a notebook for quick reference. Write the noun with its article and the correct possessive next to it. Example: o carro — o meu carro; a camisa — a minha camisa.

Mini practice quiz

Fill in the correct possessive form for each sentence:

1) _____ livro está na mesa. (I own the book)

2) Onde está _____ mochila? (you informal or formal?)

3) Essas são _____ fotos. (we)

Answers:

1) O meu livro está na mesa.

2) Onde está a sua mochila? or Onde está a tua mochila? (depending on formality)

3) Essas são as nossas fotos.

Useful vocabulary list

meu / minha — my

meus / minhas — my (plural)

seu / sua — your (ambiguous), his, her

seus / suas — your (plural), his, her (plural)

teu / tua — your (informal, used with tú)

teus / tuas — your (informal plural)

nosso / nossa — our

nossos / nossas — our (plural)

Conclusion

Mastering my, your, and our in Brazilian Portuguese is mainly about agreement with the possessed noun and choosing the right form for context. Use meu/minha for my, seu/sua or teu/tua for your depending on formality and region, and nosso/nossa for our. Practice with real phrases, label items, and pay attention to how native speakers clarify seu to gain confidence.