when to use su or tu
What is the difference between "su" and "tu"
darme tus abrigo. darme su abrigo.
give me your coat. which one would be correct and why? thankyou
3 Answers
It depends on the subject.
Is this a friend or a child? Use tu.
Is this someone you're talking about rather than someone you're talking to? Or, is this an older person or a person you respect or a person with authority? Use su.
You would say to your grandmother: Me da su abrigo, abuelita.
You would say to your boss: Me da su abrigo, jefe.
You would say to your child: ¡Dame tu abrigo hijo!
Notice that in the case of su I have used the first person present indicative form, and in the case of tu I have used the imperative form.
It is perfectly acceptable to use the imperative with "su," however in some cases it is more polite to give present tense conjugations of verbs when giving commands, and therefor in many cases where you are using su you may want to use this extra polite way of speaking.
Su = his (de él); her (de ella); its (de cosa, animal); one's (de uno); their (de ellos, ellas); your (de usted, ustedes)
•su libro -> his/her/your/their book
•sus libros -> his/her/your/their books
•su hocico -> its snout
Tu = your
(Possessive pronoun. Thy, thine. Plural tus. Apocopated from tuyo, tuya.)
•tu casa -> your house
•tus libros -> your books
Source: SpanishDict dictionary
(tu & tú are different)
Saludos
Tu means your. Su can mean his, her or your. Tu is informal while su is formal. Either would work depending on who you are talking to.
Darme tus abrigo is not correct because it would have to be tu not tus.
Also it should be, Dame tu abrigo and dame su abrigo or Puede darme tu abrigo.
