posesiva

Posesiva is a linguistic term used to describe the category of forms that express possession. In many languages, posesiva forms can function as determiners that accompany a noun or as possessive pronouns that replace the noun phrase to indicate ownership or association with a possessor. The key distinction is between posesiva adjectives or determiners (which appear before the noun) and possessive pronouns (which stand alone).

In English, possessive determiners include my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their, and possessive pronouns include mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs. In Spanish and Portuguese, similar contrasts exist with forms that appear before a noun (mi, tu, su; meu, tua, seu) and with independent pronouns (mío/mía, mío/mía, suyo/suya, etc.). Other languages show further variation, including stronger agreement with possessor gender or number, or the use of affixes attached to the noun to mark possession.

Across languages, posesiva systems differ in how possession is marked: some rely on independent pronouns or determiners, others use affixes or genitive constructions such as de- phrases, and some combine several strategies. The study of posesiva forms intersects with broader topics in grammar, such as the genitive case, possessive pronouns, possessive determiners, and cliticization.

See also: possessive pronoun, possessive determiner, genitive, possessive suffix, clitic.