Let's go back to that scene we described at the beginning of the chapter. You and your tour group have just arrived at your hotel and are facing a jumble of luggage. Obviously, you can't identify everyone's bags by using the possessive adjectives. There would be too many different people represented by su! Here is another way: use the word de. The formula de + possessor is the equivalent of the apostrophe “s” combination in English:

La maleta de Rosa … (Rosa's suitcase …)

Las maletas de la señora Olmedo … (Mrs. Olmedo's suitcases …)

Las maletas de mis padres … (My parents' suitcases …)

Notice that you start with the item possessed in this structure and then use de to say who the owner is: La maleta de Rosa está allí. (The suitcase of Rosa is there). If you have two owners, you only need to use de in front of the first, like this: El coche de Juan y Rosa es nuevo (Juan and Rosa's car is new). If you have a string of possessive statements, simply use the formula de + owner for each: Los juguetes de los niños están en el cuarto de Elena (The children's toys are in Elena's room). To ask whom something belongs to, use ¿De quién(es) …

? For example, ¿De quién es la maleta? (Whose suitcase is it?) -Es de Rosa. (It's Rosa's.)

Practice: Possession with De

Look at each of the following sentences and jot down how you would express the same idea in Spanish. Then listen to the answers on Track 23 and repeat each one.

TRACK 23

• Susana's suitcases are green.

• The room's door is broken.

• My brother's new friend is Mexican.

• La Paz is Bolivia's highest city.

• The students' classes are interesting.

• Alberto and Mario's photos are on Alberto's computer.