Using Nuestro/Nuestra To Indicate Speaker

Question

Is there any case where nuestra/nuestro are used to indicate the speaker's gender, not only the noun they describe? I was under the assumption that nuestro and nuestra were used to indicate the gender of the speaker, as it is with ellos and ellas, nosotros and nosotras, and so on. I noticed, while using a Spanish learning application, that I was given an incorrect response when answering the question with nuestro/nuestra being used to indicate the speakers, such as:

"We (female) were walking our dog (masculine)." [QUIZ]

• "Nosotras caminábamos a nuestra perro" [INCORRECT]
• "Nosotras caminábamos a nuestro perro" [CORRECT]

Welcome to the forum. - rac1, Feb 4, 2014

Gracias! - axiom82, Feb 4, 2014

Answer 1

La frase esta mal seria "Nosotros sacábamos a nuestro perro" (Si es macho) o "Nosotros sacábamos a nuestra perra" (Si es hembra), (Sacar al perro = walk the dog) (Si es caminar con el perro = Walking with the dog) seria "Nosotros caminábamos con nuestro perro" (si es macho) nosotros caminábamos con nuestra perra (si es hembra)

If my interpretation is correct, you are confirming that nuestro/nuestra follows the gender of its possession, not the speaker. Also, in regards to walking a dog, the verb "Sacar" is more fitting than caminar. Es verdad? !Espero que sí! - axiom82, Feb 4, 2014

Si, así es :) en este contexto Nuestro/Nuestra se refiere al perro/perra no al genero de quien lo dice - Neox, Feb 4, 2014

Simple explanation: Nuestro is an adjective and agrees with what it describes in number and gender. Anyway, Neox pretty much hits the nail on the head (ouch!). - Helado_eclectico, Feb 4, 2014

Answer 2

My friend,

I think following sentence is correct:-

•"Nosotras caminábamos a nuestra perro" [CORRECT]

Please note Nuestra is the possessive pronoun, first person singular (feminine), hence, it does not change gender as per the object. Only in case object is plural, then we make it plural like for many dogs "nuestras perros." if one dog then "nuestra perro".

In case subject if masculine then we would say nuestros perros for many objects for more than one dog or nuestro perro for the singular, one dog.

If in the sentence initially you have said "nosotras (all females) caminabamos" for the subject, then the possessive pronoun for nosotras would be nuestra and not nuestro ( to state something is possessed by the subject, which is feminine).

And of course it is used to indicate the gender of the speaker. nuestro = many males (we), nuestro = many males and females together (we), nuestra = many females (we)

I hope above clarifies your query. ( I am not the native speaker)

Regards Pravin