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How to Say "their" in Spanish

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su

/soo//su/

Possessive AdjectiveA1General
Use 'su' when indicating possession for a singular noun, regardless of whether it belongs to one person or a group (he, she, it, they).
A simple diagram showing a hand on the left pointing to a book being held by a person on the right, indicating that the book belongs to that other person.

Examples

Es su coche.

It's his car. / It's her car. / It's their car.

María busca su llave.

María is looking for her key.

Señor, ¿es su maleta?

Sir, is this your suitcase?

One Word, Many Meanings

'Su' is a super-useful word that can mean 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' 'your' (formal), or 'their.' You figure out which one it is from the context of the conversation.

Making it Plural: 'sus'

If the thing being owned is plural (like 'books'), you add an 's' to make it 'sus.' For example, 'su libro' (his book) becomes 'sus libros' (his books).

Forgetting the Plural 's'

Mistake: “Es su zapatos.”

Correction: Son sus zapatos. If the *thing* is plural (zapatos), you must use 'sus,' even if the owner is just one person.

Mixing Up 'su' and 'tu'

Mistake: “Señor, ¿es tu coche?”

Correction: Señor, ¿es su coche? Use 'su' when talking to someone formally ('usted'), and 'tu' when talking to someone informally ('tú').

sus

/soos//sus/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'sus' when indicating possession for a plural noun, belonging to one person or a group (he, she, it, they). It is the plural form of 'su'.
A person pointing to several colorful books on a table that belong to another group of people standing nearby, illustrating the concept of 'their books'.

Examples

Ellos aman a sus perros.

They love their dogs.

Sus ojos son azules.

His/Her eyes are blue.

Profesora, ¿podemos usar sus lápices?

Teacher, can we use your pencils?

It's About the Items, Not the Owner

Use 'sus' when the things being owned are plural (more than one). For just one thing, use 'su'. Compare: 'su libro' (one book) vs. 'sus libros' (many books).

Who's the Owner?

'Sus' can mean 'his', 'her', 'its', 'their', or 'your' (for a group). You figure out who the owner is from the rest of the conversation.

Mixing Up 'Su' and 'Sus'

Mistake: “Él tiene su libros.”

Correction: Say 'Él tiene sus libros.' The word must match the number of *items*, not the number of owners. Since 'libros' (books) is plural, you must use 'sus'.

suyo

/soo-yoh//ˈsu.ʝo/

AdjectiveB1General
Use 'suyo' when referring to 'one of theirs' or 'a relative of theirs,' acting as a pronoun or adjective that agrees in gender and number with the possessed noun.
Two children holding hands and smiling while walking in a sunny field, representing friendship.

Examples

Un amigo suyo me llamó anoche.

A friend of his/hers/theirs called me last night.

Ella trajo una propuesta suya muy interesante.

She brought a very interesting proposal of hers.

No es culpa nuestra, es un error suyo.

It's not our fault, it's a mistake of yours (formal).

Placed After the Noun

When 'suyo' is used as an adjective, it is placed after the noun it describes (e.g., 'el coche suyo'). This contrasts with the shorter possessive forms ('su coche').

Long Possessive Forms

This 'long' form (mío, tuyo, suyo, etc.) is less common than the short form ('mi, tu, su') but is often used after 'un' or 'una' to mean 'a [thing] of mine/yours/his'.

Overusing the Long Form

Mistake: “La casa suya es bonita.”

Correction: Su casa es bonita. (Use the shorter form 'su' before the noun for general descriptions and higher frequency.)

Su vs. Sus for 'Their'

The most common mistake is not matching 'su'/'sus' to the number of the noun possessed. Remember, 'su' is used for singular nouns (su coche) and 'sus' for plural nouns (sus coches), both translating to 'their' when the possessor is plural.

Related Translations

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