Mi casa es su casa , e

Question

I've been saying 'mi casa es su casa' for donkeys years. Last week somebody, who can't speak good spanish said...ah, you're being very formal....you should be saying 'mi casa es tu casa' . All of a sudden I'm puzzled by the use of 'su'....does it mean his/hers or can it mean you? For example, 'recibi un mensaje suya'....does this mean , I received a message from you (f)? If not, what does it mean?

Good question! I was just thinking about this today. :) - Findy, Apr 2, 2013

Answer 1

Vic asked:

you should be saying 'mi casa es tu casa' . All of a sudden I'm puzzled by the use of 'su'....does it mean his/hers or can it mean you?

You can say it either way. If it's a good friend you'd say "Mi casa es tu casa." If you're being polite to a new guest it's "Mi casa es su casa" (the Usted form).

Sure, it can mean his/her/its but nobody would confuse your words given the context.

For example, 'recibi un mensaje suya'....does this mean , I received a message from you (f)? If not, what does it mean?

"Recibí un mensaje de usted." (I received your (usted) message).

"Recibí su mensaje." (I received his/her/its/usted message--depends on context).

Answer 2

Su is the usted-form (formal tu-form) or the 3rd person singular. So can mean yours and his/hers.