Spanish - Possession

Lesson 14 of 159

Learners practicing Spanish possession phrases: asking who owns an item and answering simply.

Goal: Ask and say who owns things

Free Spanish lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome! In this lesson we play detective with belongings — quick, friendly phrases to ask and say who owns what. Have fun and repeat aloud.

Level A1: You'll learn and practice simple possession phrases in Spanish: ask if something is yours, say something isn’t yours, and talk about what you or others have. This CEFR-aligned mini-lesson focuses on ready-to-use questions and short answers you can use every day.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Understand and use basic questions about ownership (e.g., ¿Es tuyo?, ¿Quién tiene ___?).
  • Say that something is yours or not yours (e.g., Esto no es mío, Estos son míos).
  • Talk about what you or a group have (Solo tengo ___, Tenemos ___).
  • Practice asking and answering simple possession questions at A1 level.
Two friends looking at small items on a table while practicing possession questions in Spanish.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

¿Es tuyo?

Is it yours?

Meaning: Is it yours?

When to use: Ask the other person if an item belongs to them. Use when speaking informally (tú).

Tip: Don’t confuse tú (your) with tú pronoun — here you use the short form tuyo/tuya to agree with the object.

¿Es tuyo ese bolígrafo?
Is that pen yours?
Veo una mochila en la silla. ¿Es tuyo?
I see a backpack on the chair. Is it yours?

Esto no es mío.

This isn't mine.

Meaning: This isn’t mine.

When to use: Say this when you want to deny ownership of something unspecified or when the item is near (esto).

Tip: When the object is known and feminine, beginners sometimes say esto instead of esta/ mía; match gender if you name the object.

¿De quién es esta llave? — Esto no es mío.
Whose key is this? — This isn’t mine.
Encontré una tarjeta. Esto no es mío.
I found a card. This isn’t mine.

Estos son míos.

These are mine.

Meaning: These are mine.

When to use: Use to claim several items that belong to you. Change to 'Estas son mías' for feminine objects.

¿Estos libros son tuyos? — No, estos son míos.
Are these books yours? — No, these are mine.
Encontré los anteojos. ¡Estos son míos!
I found the glasses. These are mine!

¿Estos son tuyos?

Are these yours?

Meaning: Are these yours?

When to use: Ask if multiple items belong to the listener (informal tú). For feminine plural use '¿Estas son tuyas?'.

Tip: Make sure number and gender match the objects: estos vs. estas, tuyos vs. tuyas.

¿Estos son tuyos o son de la oficina?
Are these yours or the office’s?
Tengo dos tazas en la mesa. ¿Estos son tuyos?
I have two cups on the table. Are these yours?

¿Qué tienes?

What do you have?

Meaning: What do you have?

When to use: Ask someone informally what they are holding or what they have with them.

Hola, ¿qué tienes en la bolsa?
Hi, what do you have in the bag?
¿Qué tienes? Pareces ocupado.
What do you have? You look busy.

¿Quién tiene ___?

Who has ___?

Meaning: Who has ___?

When to use: Use to ask which person in a group has a particular thing (fill in the blank with the item).

¿Quién tiene mi chaqueta?
Who has my jacket?
¿Quién tiene las llaves del coche?
Who has the car keys?

Tenemos ___.

We have ___.

Meaning: We have ___.

When to use: Say this when the group you are part of possesses something; Spanish often omits the subject pronoun.

Tenemos dos entradas para el concierto.
We have two tickets for the concert.
Si falta comida, tenemos una manzana más.
If food is missing, we have one more apple.

Solo tengo ___.

I only have ___.

Meaning: I only have ___.

When to use: Use to say you have a limited amount or only a specific item. Fill the blank with what you have.

Lo siento, solo tengo un bolígrafo.
Sorry, I only have one pen.
No puedo ayudar mucho; solo tengo tiempo la tarde del martes.
I can’t help much; I only have time Tuesday afternoon.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna finds several small items on a table and asks David about them.

Anna and David checking keys and a phone, using possession phrases in a short Spanish conversation.

What are Anna and David talking about?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Estos son tuyos?

Are these yours?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

No, estos son míos.

No, these are mine.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Es tuyo este teléfono?

Is this phone yours?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

No, esto no es mío. Solo tengo mis llaves.

No, this isn’t mine. I only have my keys.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Quién tiene la cartera?

Who has the wallet?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Creo que tenemos varias cosas aquí, pero no sé quién tiene la cartera.

I think we have several things here, but I don’t know who has the wallet.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means 'Are these yours?'

Which sentence means 'This isn’t mine.'?

How do you say 'We have two tickets' using the chunk?

Choose the phrase that matches 'I only have one.'

Is it yours?

You find a single sock on the floor and ask a friend: '___'

Who has those pens?

You see three pens and need to know who they belong to: '___'

I only have five euros.

You are short on cash and tell a friend: '___'

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Es tuyo?

Is it yours?

Say this phrase out loud:

Esto no es mío.

This isn’t mine.

Say this phrase out loud:

Estos son míos.

These are mine.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Estos son tuyos?

Are these yours?

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Qué tienes?

What do you have?

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Quién tiene ___?

Who has ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Tenemos ___.

We have ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Solo tengo ___.

I only have ___.