Uso del Apóstrofo para Indicar Posesión en Inglés

Understanding how to talk about your family in English goes beyond memorizing vocabulary. One essential grammar tool that connects people, places, and belongings is the apostrophe S ('s). Mastering this small punctuation mark will help you describe relationships, ownership, and connections with confidence.

How do you answer the question "Who is that?" [0:08]

When someone asks "Who is that?", you can respond by stating the relationship between that person and you. For example:

• "She is my cousin."
• "She is my cousin's best friend."

Notice how the apostrophe S appears in the second sentence. It shows that the best friend is connected to your cousin. This structure is the foundation for describing your family tree — from cousins and brothers to grandparents and beyond.

What are the three uses of the apostrophe S? [1:00]

The apostrophe S serves three main purposes in English:

• Expressing ownership: something belongs to a person. Example: "Where is Lucy's book?" The book belongs to Lucy [1:18].
• Showing connection to a place: someone is linked to a location. Example: "Arnold's school is across from the store" [1:34]. The school is the one Arnold attends.
• Describing relationships between people: Example: "Kelly is my brother's swimming coach" [1:52]. Kelly and the brother are connected through coaching.

These three uses cover almost every situation where you need to show that a person is linked to an object, a place, or another person.

When do you place the apostrophe after the S? [2:12]

When a noun is a regular plural — meaning it already ends in S — you do not add another S. Instead, you place the apostrophe after the existing S. Consider these examples:

• "My brothers' toys are on the floor." You have more than one brother, and the toys belong to all of them [2:30].
• "My sisters' English teacher is kind." Multiple sisters share the same teacher [2:50].

This rule applies specifically to regular plural nouns. If the plural form already ends in S, just add the apostrophe.

How do you use double apostrophe S in one sentence? [3:52]

Sometimes you need to chain two possessive forms together. For instance: "Those are my friend's children's toys." Here, two relationships appear in a single sentence:

• The children belong to your friend (friend's children).
• The toys belong to those children (children's toys).

This structure may look complex, but it simply stacks one possessive on top of another to clarify who owns what.

How do you handle possession with two people? [5:00]

When an object belongs to two people mentioned separately, the apostrophe S goes only after the last person. For example:

• "This is Sally and Emilio's house."

The house belongs to both Sally and Emilio, yet you only add 's after Emilio because they share ownership of the same item. This is a common pattern in everyday English.

Practice sentences to reinforce possessive forms [4:20]

Try completing these on your own before checking the answers:

• "My _____ clothes are very elegant." (The clothes belong to your brother.) → "My brother's clothes are very elegant."
• "My _____ hat is pretty." (The hat belongs to your grandmother.) → "My grandmother's hat is pretty."
• "This is _____ house." (The house belongs to Sally and Emilio.) → "This is Sally and Emilio's house."

Practicing with real family-related sentences helps you internalize the rule naturally. Try creating your own examples using people from your family tree — describe who they are and what belongs to them. Share your sentences and keep building your confidence with possessives!