Possessive Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives
Italian possessives — my, your, his, her — agree with the thing being owned rather than with the owner, the reverse of how English his/her works.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Possessives Keep Their Article
il mio libro, la mia casa
my book, my house
Outside the family-term exception from an earlier lesson, Italian possessives normally keep the definite article right alongside them: il mio libro (literally 'the my book'), la mia casa (literally 'the my house'). Both the article and the possessive agree with the noun that follows, not with whoever owns it.
Agreement Tracks the Thing Owned, Not the Owner
il suo libro / la sua casa
his/her book / his/her house
Il suo libro can mean 'his book' or 'her book' — Italian possessives agree with the gender of the object possessed, never the possessor's gender. You have to rely on context to know whether suo refers back to a 'he' or a 'she'; the word itself doesn't say.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- my (m sg)
- English
- my (f sg)
- English
- my (m pl)
- English
- my (f pl)
- English
- your (m sg)
- English
- your (f sg)
- English
- his/her (m sg)
- English
- his/her (f sg)
- English
- our (m sg)
- English
- our (f sg)
- English
- your-all (m sg)
- English
- their (m sg)