Using "he/she" and "usted's" possessive pronoun in a sentence?

Question

I have a sentence: > "Father, he was writing in your notebook." Wouldn't that translate into: > "Padre, el estaba escribiendo en su cuaderno." Wouldn't that be confusing because it could also read: > "Father, he was writing in his notebook." How would you differentiate the two?

Answer 1

Yes, it can be a little confusing because the possessive pronoun "su" is used for second person singular, formal (usted) and plural (ustedes), and third person singular (él, ella). Sometimes to avoid confusion, or to make the statement clear some speakers add "de... usted, él, ella, ustedes" at the end of the sentence, like this:

Padre, él estaba escribiendo en su cuaderno...en el de usted.