un amigo meu
Possessives as Pronouns and After the Noun
Possessives do more than go before a noun. After the noun they mean "of mine, of yours": un amigo meu (a friend of mine). With the article and no noun they mean "mine, yours": O meu é este (mine is this one).
How It Works
After the noun. With un, unha, numbers or no article, put the possessive after the noun to mean "of mine, of yours": un amigo meu (a friend of mine), unha curmá túa (a cousin of yours), dous compañeiros nosos (two of our colleagues). Galician also allows the possessive before the noun after un or a demonstrative, as in un meu amigo and este meu amigo; this entry focuses on the order after the noun.
As a pronoun. With the article and no noun, the possessive replaces a noun already mentioned: A túa casa é grande; a miña é pequena (your house is big; mine is small). The article and the possessive take the gender and number of the missing noun: o meu, a miña, os meus, as miñas.
After ser. Without the article, the possessive says who owns something: Este coche é teu? (is this car yours?), A culpa foi miña (it was my fault). With the article it identifies one item among several: Cal é a túa? A miña é a vermella (which one is yours? Mine is the red one).
Agreement. As with o meu and a miña or o noso and a nosa, the ending follows the thing owned: a man says unha amiga miña, and a woman says un amigo meu.
Examples (6)
- Onte vin un amigo meu no mercado.
Yesterday I saw a friend of mine at the market.
Word by Word: Yesterday saw-I a friend my at-the market.
- Esta é Marta, unha compañeira miña do traballo.
This is Marta, a colleague of mine from work.
Word by Word: This is Marta, a colleague my of-the work.
- A túa bicicleta é nova; a miña é moi vella.
Your bike is new; mine is very old.
Word by Word: The your bike is new; the my is very old.
- Este paraugas é teu?
Is this umbrella yours?
Word by Word: This umbrella is your?
- Non foi culpa túa.
It was not your fault.
Word by Word: Not was fault your.
- Uns veciños nosos teñen tres cans.
Some neighbours of ours have three dogs.
Word by Word: Some neighbours our have three dogs.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish form mío.
Vin un amigo mío.Vin un amigo meu.Mío and tuyo are Spanish. Galician uses the same forms after the noun as before it: meu, teu, seu, noso, voso.
Making the possessive agree with the owner.
Marta é unha amiga meu.Marta é unha amiga miña.It does not matter whether the speaker is a man or a woman. Amiga is feminine, so the possessive is miña.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Possessives can follow a noun or stand independently while still agreeing with what is possessed.
Related Patterns
- o seu / a súaHis, Her and Their: Seu and Súa
Third-person possessives, which work the same way after the noun.
Level 1 - o noso / a nosa / o voso / a vosaOur and Your: Noso and Voso
Plural-owner possessives, as in uns veciños nosos.
Level 1 - este meu amigoCombining Determiners
Possessives combined with demonstratives and other determiners.
Level 4 - a casa delaClarifying Seu with Del and Dela
Another way to show the owner after the noun.
Level 3 - de meu / de seuOf One's Own: De Meu and De Seu
A fixed use of the possessive after de.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice un amigo meu in Bubblegum
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