POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS.


A Possessive Adjective accompanies a noun; a Possessive pronoun
stands for a noun.

The Possessive Adjectives are--

+-------------------------+----------------------------+
|Mi (m. & f., sing.)  |my                          |
|Mis (m. & f., plu.)  |my                          |
|Tu (m. & f., sing.)  |thy                         |
|Tus (m. & f., plu.)  |thy                         |
|Su (m. & f., sing.)  |his, her, its, one's, their,|
|                         | your, (polite)           |
|Sus (m. & f., plu.)  |his, her, its, one's, their,|
|                         | your, (polite)           |
|Nuestro-a, os-a          |our                         |
|Vuestro-a, os-as         |your (familiar)           |
+-------------------------+----------------------------+


EXAMPLES--

Mi embarque: My shipment.
Nuestro arreglo: Our arrangement.
Su sinceridad: His, her, or their sincerity.
Tu beneficio: Thy benefit.
Sus fondos: His funds, capital.


De él, de ella, de ellos, de V., etc., may be added for the sake of
clearness, but are not needed when the sense is clear without them.[88]

In the 3rd person (but not in the 1st and 2nd) instead of "su ... de
él," "su ... de V.," etc., we may say "el ... de él," "el ... de V.,"
etc.


[Footnote 88: "De V." is added also for politeness ("V." being a title in
itself--your grace).]


The Possessive Pronouns are--

El mío, la mía, los míos, las mías (mine).
El tuyo, la tuya, los tuyos, las tuyas (thine).
El suyo, la suya, los suyos, las suyas (his, hers, theirs, yours,
polite).
El nuestro, la nuestra, los nuestros, las nuestras (ours).
El vuestro, la vuestra, los vuestros, las vuestras (yours familiar).

The Possessive Pronoun must be preceded by the definite article except
when it follows the verb "to be" ("Ser") and ownership is asserted.


EXAMPLES--

Su casa es más importante que la mía: His firm is more important than
mine.

V. ha acabado su trabajo, pero yo no he principiado el mío: You have
finished your work, but I have not started mine.

Estos títulos y acciones son míos: These bonds and shares are mine
(viz., belong to me).[89]

[Footnote 89: If the intention is only to distinguish between one
object and another the article is maintained; as, Estas son mis acciones,
aquellas son las de V. (these are my shares, those are yours).]


Possessive Adjectives Emphatic. If any emphasis is placed on the
possessive adjectives, the forms of the possessive pronouns are used,
following the noun, as--

Quiero la maleta mía y no la de su amigo: I want my portmanteau, not
your friend's.

"A friend of mine," "a customer of yours" will be translated "un amigo
de los míos," "un cliente de los suyos," or also "un amigo mío," "un
cliente suyo," without the preposition de.

The Possessive Pronoun preceded by the neuter article lo denotes
"property in general," as--

Lo mío (mine--that which is mine).
Lo nuestro (ours--that which belongs to us).
Lo suyo or lo propio (one's own property).
Lo ajeno (other people's property (that which belongs to others)).

In addressing a person translate "my," etc., by "mío," etc., as--

Amigo mío: My friend.
Muy Señor mío (usual introduction to a Spanish letter).

But if the noun is qualified by an adjective, both "mi" and "mío" are
used ("mi" is more general), as Mi querido amigo (my dear friend).


+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|   Subjunctive Mood, Imperfect Tense (2nd Form).[90]          |
+------------------------+------------------+--------------------+
|     Hablar.            |      Temer.      |    Partir.         |
+------------------------+------------------+--------------------+
| Que yo hablara         |Temiera           |Partiera Partieras  |
|  "  tu hablaras        |Temieras          |Partiera            |
|  "  el hablara         |Temiera           |Partiéramos         |
|  "  nosotros habláramos|Temiéramos        |Partierais          |
|  "  vosotros hablarais |Temierais         |Partieran           |
|  "  ellos-as hablaran  |Temieran          |                    |
+------------------------+------------------+--------------------+

[Footnote 90: Used just the same as the 1st form; but it may also be
used instead of the Conditional Mood.]

+-----------------------+-------------------+---------------------+
|             Subjunctive Mood, Future Tense.[91]               |
+-----------------------+-------------------+---------------------+
|Que yo hablare (that I |Temiere (that I    |Partiere (that I     |
|    shall speak, etc.) |  shall fear, etc.)|  shall depart, etc.)|
| "  tú hablares        |Temieres           |Partieres            |
| "  él hablare         |Temiere            |Partiere             |
| "  nosotros habláremos|Temiéremos         |Partiéremos          |
| "  vosotros hablareis |Temiereis          |Partiereis           |
| "  ellos-as hablaren  |Temieren           |Partieren            |
+-----------------------+-------------------+---------------------+

[Footnote 91: Refers to a future doubtful action; little used. Its place
is generally supplied by the Present Subjunctive, and, after si (if),
by the Present Indicative.]


     VOCABULARY.

*atenerse á to adhere to
*adherir  á to adhere to
ajustar to adjust
apresurarse á to hasten to.
asegurar to secure
avería average (damage by sea-water, etc.)
buque ship
buque de vapor steamer
buque de vela sailing vessel
cabida room, space
codiciar to covet
deber to owe, must
debido á owing to
dirección address
encaminar to forward
hierro iron
mensual monthly
mercado de granos grain market
muestra sample
petición request
pormenores, detalles particulars, details
por tanto por eso therefore
proporcionado adecuado  adequate
puerto port
relación report
representante representative
resto, restante remainder
resultado result
riesgo risk
(á or por) saldo (in) settlement
satisfecho satisfied
siguiente following
someter to submit
(la) sucursal branch house
surtido assortment, selection
vigas beams

                            EXERCISE 1 (21).

Translate into English--

1. Su representante de V. me ha sometido sus (his) muestras y dentro de
pocos días haré un surtido.

2. En seno (herewith) les enviamos nuestro precio corriente.

3. Sírvase V. consignar los géneros á la orden mía y no á la (orden) del
Sr. Fulano, como lo hacía V. antes.

4. Su casa y la mía están ambas (both) interesadas en esta especulación.

5. Les embarcaremos sus vigas de hierro por el próximo vapor y las
(vigas) de su sucursal de Rosario con el buque siguiente.

6. Nuestro buque de vela el "Nerón" saldrá (will leave) en breve
(shortly).

7. Queremos lo nuestro pero no codiciamos lo ajeno.

8. Nuestro catálogo contiene todos los pormenores necesarios.

9. Debemos su nombre de V. al Sr. Fulano.

10. Nos tomamos la libertad de solicitar sus apreciables órdenes.

11. Á nuestro parecer (in our opinion) su clientela de V. es mejor que
la suya de él.


                            EXERCISE 2 (22).

Translate into Spanish--

1. We beg (tenemos el gusto de) to inform you that your order has been
placed at your prices owing to the fall experienced (que tuvimos) in our
market.

2. In our monthly report, which we beg to enclose, we have stated
(consignado) the present position of our grain market.

3. Please forward the enclosed letters to their address.

4. Our risk would be great and therefore we must adhere to our request
of an adequate commission.

5. The average having been adjusted we now hasten to enclose our cheque
for £59 16s. 9d. in settlement of your claim as per statement enclosed.

6. Trusting (en la confianza que) you will be satisfied with (con or
de) this result, we are, yours faithfully (somos de Vs. attos. y
S.S.Q.B.S.M.[92]).

7. We have secured room for the remainder of your machinery in the
steamer leaving (que saldrá de) our port on the 10th prox.

[Footnote 92: Atentos y seguros servidores (que besan sus manos). The
words in brackets are not used in South America and some Spanish firms
also omit them. Instead of q.b.s.m., Spaniards have lately adopted:
q.e.s.m. (que estrechan sus manos).]