A question regarding "su"/sus

Question

I have a quick grammatical question which has been bugging me for a while.

La frase: "Voy a discutir algunas de las reformas implementadas por los gobiernos de Felipe González durante su legislaturas"

Something tells me it should be "sus'' -as the word that follows it is in the plural form. Is this always the case?

Thanks

Answer 1

Yes, the possessive adjective agrees with the number and gender of the noun legislaturas that it modifies just like any other adjective. It does not agree with the number and gender of the possessor.

However, in your example sentence are you sure that the noun is not incorrect and that it should not be legislatura (singular). In other words, is the antecedent of su referring to Felipe González's term in office (singular) or to the governments' legislatures (plural). [is it supposed to be legislaturas or legislatura?]

...implemented by the governments under Felipe González during his term in office

or

...implemented by the governments under Felipe Gonzálex during their legislatures.

When you decide the correct number of the noun match the possessive adjective to that number.

Answer 2

What i want to say is term in office. However the PSOE had more than one term in office from 1982-1996 - therefore I think it should be plural?

Also after re-consulting my dictionary would "sus mandatos" be better to avoid any ambiguity?

Thanks

Answer 3

Hi!

Please refrain from double-posting. Gracias

Sorry, the website crashed. Hit the post nothing happened, so did it again. Please feel free to delete it! - theyearof2010, Jan 15, 2012