teu/tua/teus/tuas
Possessive Second Person Informal
Teu/tua/teus/tuas means 'your' or 'yours'. It is the informal possessive used when you address someone as tu.
How It Works
The forms teu, tua, teus, and tuas are used to indicate possession when speaking informally to a friend, family member, or peer.
1. Agreement Rules:
Unlike English, where 'your' never changes, these words must match the noun they describe:
- Teu: Masculine Singular (e.g., teu livro)
- Tua: Feminine Singular (e.g., tua chave)
- Teus: Masculine Plural (e.g., teus amigos)
- Tuas: Feminine Plural (e.g., tuas irmãs)
2. Regional Differences:
- European Portuguese (EP): These are the standard informal forms. You almost always use a definite article before them (e.g., o teu pai).
- Brazilian Portuguese (BP): Usage is regional (common in the South and Northeast). In many other regions, people use seu/sua even in informal speech. In Brazil, the article is often omitted (e.g., tua mãe).
3. Clarity:
One major advantage of using teu is that it specifically refers to the person you are talking to. In contrast, seu can sometimes be confused with 'his' or 'her'.
Examples (4)
- Onde está o teu carro?
Where is your car?
Word by Word: Where is the your car?
In European Portuguese, the definite article 'o' is used before 'teu'. 'Teu' is masculine to match 'carro'.
- Eu gosto da tua ideia.
I like your idea.
Word by Word: I like of-the your idea.
'Tua' is feminine to match the feminine noun 'ideia'. Note the contraction 'da' (de + a).
- Teus pais estão em casa?
Are your parents at home?
Word by Word: Your parents are in house?
This is a common Brazilian style where the article is omitted. 'Teus' is plural to match 'pais'.
- Estas chaves são tuas?
Are these keys yours?
Word by Word: These keys are yours?
When the possessive comes after the noun or stands alone, it functions as 'yours'.
Common Mistakes
Matching the possessive to the owner's gender instead of the object's gender.
O homem disse: 'Esta é meu casa.'O homem disse: 'Esta é a minha casa.'Even if the speaker is male, 'casa' is a feminine noun, so you must use 'tua' or 'minha', never 'teu' or 'meu'.
Mixing 'tu' with 'seu' in the same sentence.
Tu perdeste o seu livro.Tu perdeste o teu livro.If you use the pronoun 'tu', you should use the corresponding possessive 'teu'. Mixing them is considered grammatically inconsistent.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'teu/tua/teus/tuas' correctly, you need to understand that these words correspond to the subject 'tu' (you informal). Like other adjectives in Portuguese, they must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the object being possessed, not the person who owns it.
- eu/tu/você/ele/elaSubject Pronouns (Singular)
Understanding the subject pronoun 'tu' is essential as these possessives specifically relate to the second person informal subject.
Foundations - -o/-aNoun Gender Markers
The possessive forms must agree in gender with the noun they modify, requiring knowledge of masculine and feminine noun markers.
Foundations - -sPlural Formation
The possessive forms must agree in number with the noun they modify, requiring knowledge of how to form plurals.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- meu/minha/meus/minhasPossessive First Person Singular
These are the first-person equivalents ('my/mine') and follow the same agreement rules.
Level 1 - seu/sua/seus/suasPossessive Third Person and Formal
This is the other way to say 'your' (used with 'você'), but it can also mean 'his' or 'her'.
Level 1 - tu / vocêTu vs. Você
Understanding the difference between these two pronouns is essential for choosing between 'teu' and 'seu'.
Level 1 - Article with Possessive
Explains when and why you need to put 'o' or 'a' before words like 'teu' and 'tua'.
Level 2 - Possessive Agreement Rule
The fundamental rule that possessives must agree with the noun they modify.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice teu/tua/teus/tuas in Bubblegum
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