Meu, Minha, Seu, and Sua: Portuguese Possessives Explained
Portuguese possessives match the noun that follows them. The owner matters for meaning, but the owned noun controls forms such as meu, minha, and meus.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Meu and minha both mean “my,” but the form changes to match the noun being described. Use meu with a masculine singular noun and minha with a feminine singular noun. The possessor can be any gender; the noun is what controls this agreement.
Match the possessive to the thing owned
The same pattern continues in the plural: meus and minhas. Learn the noun with its article, then add the matching possessive. This makes agreement easier than trying to memorize the possessive by itself.
meu livro
my book
minha casa
my house
meus amigos / minhas amigas
my male or mixed-gender friends / my female friends
Use nosso and nossa for “our”
Nosso, nossa, nossos, and nossas also agree with the thing owned. Use nosso before a masculine singular noun and nossa before a feminine singular noun. The plural forms follow the same agreement pattern.
In conversation, a gente is very common for “we,” but possessive forms such as nosso can still appear naturally. Choose the pronoun and verb that fit your sentence; do not assume that every word around a gente must look grammatically singular in the same way.
nosso apartamento
our apartment
nossa professora
our teacher
nossos planos / nossas ideias
our plans / our ideas
Understand why seu and sua can be unclear
Seu, sua, seus, and suas can refer to “your” in a formal or plural sense, or to “his,” “her,” and “their.” Context often tells listeners who owns something, but a long sentence can become ambiguous.
To make the owner explicit, Brazilian speakers often use dele or dela (of him/of her) or de vocês (of you all). These expressions come after the noun phrase. The choice also depends on register and region, so notice what people use in the kind of Brazilian Portuguese you are learning.
seu carro
your car / his car / her car (context decides)
o carro dele
his car
a casa delas
their house (owned by them, all women or girls)
Decide whether to include the article
You may see both o meu livro and meu livro. In Brazilian Portuguese, article use with possessives varies by region, style, and expression. Both patterns are common; follow the speech community you are engaging with and keep your usage consistent within a sentence.
When you are unsure, listen to complete examples and note the noun, article, and possessive together. Avoid applying an English rule mechanically: Portuguese grammar and regional preferences do not always map word for word to English.
O meu telefone está aqui.
My phone is here.
Minha chave ficou no carro.
My key stayed in the car.
A gente encontrou os amigos nossos no café.
We met our friends at the café. (one possible emphatic order)
Put it into practice
Write four phrases with nouns you use every day: meu, minha, nossos, and suas. Then rewrite one sentence with dele or dela to make the owner clear. Practice a short introduction with Real Life Portuguese audio and ask an I Speak Portuguese teacher which possessive forms sound natural in your region of interest.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “our teacher”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.