Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives
Aprendizaje rápido
Subject pronouns say who acts, possessive adjectives modify nouns, and possessive pronouns stand completely alone.
Recuerda
- Subject pronouns govern the verb: I work, you work, he works, she works, they work.
- Possessive adjectives always precede a noun: my car, your phone, her coat, our house.
- Possessive pronouns replace the noun phrase and stand alone: the book is mine, the choice is yours.
Ejemplos
- 1I finished my homework on time, and David successfully finished his.
- 2She telephoned her parents immediately after arriving safely at the hotel.
Error común que evitar
Its is the possessive form and it's is a contraction of it is or it has: the cat licked its paw has no apostrophe.
Profundiza
La regla
Three roles
Pronouns replace nouns so that speech and writing flow smoothly without repetitive names. English organizes personal pronouns into three distinct structural roles based on their grammatical function:
Subject pronouns
(1) Subject Pronouns (Who performs the action): Sit before the finite verb as the subject of the clause: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Examples:
- I live in Bristol
- She speaks three languages fluently
- They play football every Sunday
Possessive adjectives
(2) Possessive Adjectives (Determiners that modify a noun): Always sit immediately before a head noun to establish ownership or relationship: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Examples:
- This is my laptop
- His sister is a doctor
- Our house is nearby
They cannot stand alone without a noun.
Possessive pronouns
(3) Possessive Pronouns (Stand alone, replacing the entire noun phrase): Replace the possessive adjective and its noun together to eliminate repetition: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. Examples:
- The red umbrella is mine
- Is this coffee cup yours?
- Their garden is small, but ours is large
They never take a noun after them.
The full set, and its vs it's
Form Matrix: I → my → mine; You → your → yours; He → his → his; She → her → hers; It → its → (not used); We → our → ours; They → their → theirs. Critical Distinction: Its vs. It's: Its (without an apostrophe) is the possessive form showing ownership.
- The cat washed its paws
It's (with an apostrophe) is a contraction meaning it is or it has.
- It's raining outside
Anatomía de la frase
Frases de esta lección, separadas en sus partes en el orden que exige el inglés.
SujetoSheVerbotelephonedObjetoher parentsTiempoimmediately after arriving safely at the hotel.
SujetoThe little kittenModocarefullyVerbowashedObjetoits front pawsTiempoafter drinking milk.
SujetoThis warm winter jacketVerboisComplementomine,Oraciónbut that knitted blue scarf is hers.
Guía visual
How to read this A1 topic
At A1, aim for one clear sentence: subject, verb, agreement, and a simple complement.
1. Find the subject
English normally needs an explicit subject before the verb.
It is cold.
2. Check the verb form
Be, have, and third-person -s carry a lot of early grammar.
She works here.
3. Keep a model sentence
Learn one short pattern and swap the words carefully.
I am a student.
Pronoun forms
English pronouns change by grammatical job: subject, object, possession, or reflexive meaning.
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive adjective | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | I | me | my | myself |
| 2nd singular/plural | you | you | your | yourself / yourselves |
| 3rd singular | he / she / it | him / her / it | his / her / its | himself / herself / itself |
| 1st plural | we | us | our | ourselves |
| 3rd plural | they | them | their | themselves |
Decision path before answering
Use these checks before choosing between close options.
- 1Mark the subject, main verb, object, and any connector.
- 2Underline the time expression or discourse clue.
- 3Reject any option with the wrong agreement, tense, article, pronoun case, or word order.
- 4Read the whole sentence once more for naturalness and register.
Ejemplos
- 1I finished my homework on time, and David successfully finished his.
- 2She telephoned her parents immediately after arriving safely at the hotel.
- 3We left our travel bags in the car, but our friends carried theirs.
- 4The little kitten carefully washed its front paws after drinking milk.
- 5Is this black umbrella yours, or did a visitor leave it in the corridor?
- 6He loves his new job because every single day brings creative challenges.
- 7They proudly showed us their new garden, and we happily showed them ours.
- 8This warm winter jacket is mine, but that knitted blue scarf is hers.
- 9It's very cold outside tonight, so the puppy prefers sleeping in its bed.
- 10You should tidy your study room before your classmates arrive to visit.
Excepciones
Singular they, them, and their are standard in both conversational and formal English when referring to an individual whose gender is unknown, unspecified, or irrelevant: "Someone left their notebook on the library table." Note that possessive adjectives in English agree with the gender of the possessor, not the object possessed: "Maria visited her brother" (her reflects Maria), while "John visited his sister" (his reflects John).
Errores frecuentes
Confusing its and it's
Error
The company celebrated it's anniversary.
Correcto
The company celebrated its anniversary.
Possessive its never takes an apostrophe.
Using a possessive pronoun before a noun
Error
This is mine computer.
Correcto
This is my computer.
Mine stands alone; my modifies a noun.
Confusing his and her
Error
Paul invited her friends.
Correcto
Paul invited his friends.
Meaning Paul's friends. Possessives reflect the gender of the owner.
Repaso
Lo esencial de la lección en una tarjeta, antes de ponerte a prueba.
Recuerda
- Subject pronouns govern the verb: I work, you work, he works, she works, they work.
- Possessive adjectives always precede a noun: my car, your phone, her coat, our house.
- Possessive pronouns replace the noun phrase and stand alone: the book is mine, the choice is yours.
Errores frecuentes
Error: The company celebrated it's anniversary.
Correcto: The company celebrated its anniversary.Error: This is mine computer.
Correcto: This is my computer.Error: Paul invited her friends.
Correcto: Paul invited his friends.
Ponte a prueba
Take three everyday items and state who owns them using both a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun, then practise.
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