Possessives: meu/minha, seu/sua, nosso/nossa

Possessives tell you whose thing you mean. Seu can refer to the listener or to a third person, so context matters. Dele and dela help clarify a third-person owner. The main new habit is choosing the owner first, then matching meu/minha, seu/sua or nosso/nossa to the thing’s gender and number.

Gender and number agree with the thing owned

English his and her tell you about the owner. Portuguese meu and minha tell you about the thing:

• minha casa (casa is feminine — and it stays minha whether the speaker is a man or a woman)

Family and people

• "Minha mãe mora em Recife." (My mother lives in Recife.)

• "Seu irmão trabalha com você?" (Does your brother work with you?)

• "O marido dela é professor." (Her husband is a teacher.)

• "Conheci os pais dele ontem." (I met his parents yesterday.)

Around the house

• "Esqueci meu celular na mesa." (I left my phone on the table.)

• "Nossa casa tem dois quartos." (Our house has two bedrooms.)

• "Nossos vizinhos são bem tranquilos." (Our neighbours are pretty easy-going.)

• "As chaves dela sumiram de novo." (Her keys have gone missing again.)

Body parts and clothes often use the article

Portuguese often leaves the possessive out when the owner is obvious, where English commonly uses one:

• "Lavei as mãos." (I washed my hands.)

• "Quebrei o braço." (I broke my arm.)

• "Ela cortou o cabelo." (She cut her hair.)

• "Tirei o casaco." (I took off my coat.)

Lavei minhas mãos is also correct. An explicit possessive can emphasise or clarify ownership when the context calls for it.

The seu that isn't "your"

Two very common uses have nothing to do with owning anything:

• Seu João, Dona Maria — a respectful way to address someone by first name, closer to Mr. and Ms. than to your.

Nossa! is an interjection of surprise or amazement, shortened from Nossa Senhora! (“Our Lady”), a reference to Mary. It is not tied exclusively to Nossa Senhora Aparecida. Aparecida is Brazil’s patron saint, and Law 6.802/1980 made 12 October a national holiday in her honour. Sources: Aulete: nossa · Law 6.802/1980, Planalto.