Published on December 10, 2024
How to use possessive adjectives in Italian
Possessive adjectives play a vital role in Italian. These helpful words modify nouns by indicating possession or ownership — in other words, what’s ours, yours or someone else’s. You can use them to clarify which items belong to whom, but you can also use them to modify abstract concepts, such as important bonds with other people.
In English, possessive nouns remain the same regardless of the noun they’re modifying. But in Italian, possessive adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they modify.
Possessive adjectives are words used to indicate ownership or association. This is a group that includes “my,” “your” and “their” in English. Italian possessive adjectives are not quite so fixed; in fact, they change form depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine and singular or plural.
This behavior adheres to a consistent rule in Italian grammar, in which agreement between parts of speech is crucial.
| English | Masculine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| my | il mio | i miei | la mia | le mie |
| your | il tuo | i tuoi | la tua | le tue |
| his/her/its | il suo | i suoi | la sua | le sue |
| your | il nostro | i nostri | la nostra | le nostre |
| our | il vostro | i vostri | la vostra | le vostre |
| their | il loro | i loro | la loro | le loro |
In Italian, a possessive adjective must agree with the noun it describes, not the possessor. For example:
Possessive adjectives require a preceding article (il, la, i, le) that matches the noun and adjective in gender and number. This is a specific feature of Italian that sets it apart from English and even other Romance languages.
As you might have noticed, loro doesn’t change regardless of the gender and the number of the noun it refers to. Keep in mind, though, that it still requires the presence of an article that agrees with the noun in gender and number.
Possessive adjectives are words that indicate ownership or association and precede the noun they modify. They must agree in gender and number with the noun, not with the person who is the owner or possessor. Generally speaking, possessive adjectives are always preceded by a definite article.
Possessive pronouns replace nouns to indicate possession. Examples in English include “mine”, “yours” and “theirs.” These pronouns can be used alone, as replacements for nouns, and they often help to avoid tedious repetition in speech. In Italian, they are always preceded by a definite article.
Learners often match the possessive adjective with the owner instead of the noun. Remember to always check the noun’s gender and number before deciding on the correct possessive adjective.
It’s easy to forget the article since English doesn’t require it (e.g. saying “mio cane” instead of “il mio cane”). But remember that possessive adjectives almost always require a definite article, so try to mentally pair the possessives with their articles as you practice.
When referring to singular family members in Italian (madre, fratello, figlia) the definite article is omitted.
Only when qualifiers or adjectives are added does the article come back in. For example:
Use mio with family members in the singular form when no other adjectives are involved. For example, you would say mio padre to refer to “my father.” Use il mio in every other case, such as il mio libro (my book), il mio amico (my friend) and il mio meraviglioso padre (my amazing father).
Use tuo when speaking to one person. For example, when speaking to a friend you would use the form il tuo libro to refer to “your book.” Use vostro when speaking to multiple people. For example: il vostro libro signifies that “your book” belongs to a group of people.
Tuo means “yours” in singular form, whereas suo means “his” or “her.” Suo can also mean “yours” in singular form when speaking in a formal context.
We’ve covered all you need to know about possessive adjectives in Italian. We’ve seen why they’re useful, why it’s important to remember that nouns and adjectives agree in gender and number, and why they require a definite article in most cases.
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