Possessive Adjectives (Gli aggettivi possessivi)
Practice: Possessive Adjectives
These are the adjectives that describe the quality of ownership: my uncle, your book, our friend, etc. First have a look at the basic forms, and then we'll discuss how to use them.
Forms
| mio | tuo | suo | Suo | nostro | vostro | loro | Loro |
| my | your | his/her | your | our | your | their | your |
As you can imagine, the Suo and Loro (starting w/ caps) are used for the formal your (singular and plural, respectively).
The adjective suo means either his or her. If your need to avoid ambiguity concerning the gender of the owner, you may use the alternative forms, di lui or di lei.
E.g. Giulia e Roberto hanno macchine veloci. Preferisco la Ferrari di lei.
Use as Adjectives
These possessives are adjectives, which, in Italian, means that their endings change depending upon the nouns they modify. Possessive adjectives belong to the class of 4-ending adjectives: -o and -a in the singular and -i and -e in the plural. The following chart should help you out.
| libro m sing |
macchina f sing |
libri m pl |
macchine f pl |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mio | il mio libro | la mia macchina | i miei libri | le mie macchine |
| tuo | il tuo libro | la tua macchina | i tuoi libri | le tue macchine |
| suo | il suo libro | la sua macchina | i suoi libri | le sue macchine |
| Suo | il Suo libro | la Sua macchina | i Suoi libri | le Sue macchine |
| nostro | il nostro libro | la nostra macchina | i nostri libri | le nostre macchine |
| vostro | il vostro libro | la vostra macchina | i vostri libri | le vostre macchine |
| loro | il loro libro | la loro macchina | i loro libri | le loro macchine |
| Loro | il Loro libro | la Loro macchina | i Loro libri | le Loro macchine |
As you can see, loro is an exception among these adjectives, in that its ending never changes.
Remember, the possessor's gender or number does not determine the ending of the possessive adjectve, but rather the gender and number of the thing or person possessed. My car = la mia macchina, regardless of whether or not the speaker is a man or a woman. The possessive adjectve ends in an -a in this case, because macchina is feminine.
Use with Articles
Possessive adjectives appear before the noun (as in English). Unlike in English, however, they are usually used together with the definite articles (il, la, etc.). You can note their use in the chart above.
Omit the article when you use possessive adjectives with family members, EXCEPT with loro, plural family members, terms of endearment, and with family members who appear with another adjective after them. Compare the following:
| no article |
|---|
| mia madre (no article) |
| nostro cugino (no article) |
| vostra zia (no article) |
| article |
|---|
| il loro padre (include article with loro) |
| la mia mamma (include article with term of endearment) |
| la vostra zia italiana (include article with use of extra adjective) |
| i tuoi genitori (include article with plural family members) |
Final Points on Possession
If you are describing possession with nouns rather than adjectives: (E.g. John's car, my uncle's house, my friend's umbrella, etc.), you must show possession with the preposition di. There is no equivalent in Italian of the 's used in English.
| John's car = la macchina di John. (Literally, the car of John.) |
| my uncle's house = la casa di mio zio (Remember to omit the article!) |
| my friend's umbrella = l'ombrello del mio amico (del is a combination or contraction of di + article!) |
| Whose car is it? = Di chi e' la macchina? |