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Possessive Adjectives - ❌

Possessive adjectives in Italian are used to indicate ownership or possession of a noun. They function similarly to their English counterparts ("my," "your," "his," "her," etc.) but are used differently in terms of placement and agreement. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you understand and use Italian possessive adjectives correctly.

1. Forms of Possessive Adjectives

Italian possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, not with the owner. They are placed before the noun they modify. Here are the basic forms:

Singular Forms

Owner Masculine Singular Feminine Singular
My mio mia
Your (informal) tuo tua
His/Her/Its suo sua
Our nostro nostra
Your (plural/formal) vostro vostra
Their loro loro

Plural Forms

Owner Masculine Plural Feminine Plural
My miei mie
Your (informal) tuoi tue
His/Her/Its suoi sue
Our nostri nostre
Your (plural/formal) vostri vostre
Their loro loro

2. Usage Rules

2.1 Agreement

Possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

  • Il mio libro (My book) - "libro" is masculine singular, so "mio" is used.
  • La mia penna (My pen) - "penna" is feminine singular, so "mia" is used.
  • I miei libri (My books) - "libri" is masculine plural, so "miei" is used.
  • Le mie penne (My pens) - "penne" is feminine plural, so "mie" is used.

2.2 Possessive Adjectives and Articles

When a possessive adjective is used with a definite article (the), it is usually omitted. However, in some cases, the article is still used.

  • Il mio libro (My book) - the article "il" is used here.
  • Mia madre (My mother) - no article is used because it’s a family relationship.

2.3 Emphasis

To emphasize the possession, you might include the definite article with the possessive adjective.

  • Il libro di mia madre (My mother's book) - emphasizes that the book belongs to your mother.

3. Common Phrases with Possessive Adjectives

Here are some common phrases using possessive adjectives:

  • Il mio telefono (My phone)
  • La sua macchina (His/Her car)
  • I nostri amici (Our friends)
  • Le loro idee (Their ideas)

4. Practice Examples

To practice, try replacing the possessive adjectives in these sentences:

  1. La mia macchina è rotta. (My car is broken.)
  2. I tuoi amici sono simpatici. (Your friends are nice.)
  3. Il suo libro è sul tavolo. (His book is on the table.)
  4. Le nostre vacanze sono state belle. (Our holidays were beautiful.)
  5. La loro casa è grande. (Their house is big.)

Practice