Italian Grammar Bank
ITALIAN POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
Determinative adjectives in Italian have the function of adding specificity to the noun, such as belonging, position in space or quantity.
This means that they help answer the questions ‘quale?’ or ‘di chi?’ about the noun they refer to.
Here we explain about possessive adjectives in Italian.
TYPES OF DETERMINATIVE ADJECTIVES
Determinative adjectives are divided into:
– possessive
Gioco a basket con i miei amici
– I play basketball with my friends
– demonstratives
Questo computer è di Michele
– This computer is Michele’s
– indefinite
Ho visto molti attori famosi a Venezia] – I saw many famous actors in Venice
– numerals
I tre moschettieri è un romanzo di Dumas
– The Three Musketeers is a novel by Dumas.
– interrogatives
Quanti giorni ti fermi a Barcellona?
– How many days are you staying in Barcelona?
– esclamatives
Che bel sole!
– What beautiful sunshine!
As there is much to explain, each type of adjective will be covered in separate lessons.
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
Among the different types of determinative adjectives, possessive adjectives specify to whom the thing, person, animal or abstract entity to which the noun refers belongs.
PATTERN
Definite Article + Possessive Adjective + Noun
| La mia scrivania è sporca | My desk is dirty. |
| Il tuo cane è molto buono | Your dog is very good. |
| Mia sorella è andata a studiare all’estero | My sister went to study abroad. |
| La nostra libertà non può essere scambiata per nessuna somma di denaro | Our freedom cannot be exchanged for any amount of money. |
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the thing or person to which they refer.
The forms of the possessive pronoun in Italian are identical to those of the corresponding possessive pronouns.
The singular possessive adjectives are:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | Mio | Mia |
| 2nd person singular | Tuo | Tua |
| 3rd person singular | Suo | Sua |
| 1st person plural | Nostro | Nostra |
| 2nd person plural | Vostro | Vostra |
| 3rd person plural | Loro | Loro |
Examples:
La mia macchina è rossa
My car is red: “mia” → feminine singular, in agreement with “macchina”, which is feminine singular + tells us who the car belongs to: me!
Il nostro cane si chiama Ron
Our dog’s name is Ron: “nostro” → masculine singular, in agreement with “cane”, which is masculine singular + tells us who the dog belongs to: us!
La loro vita è meravigliosa!
Their life is wonderful: “loro” → is invariable + tells us who their life belongs to: them!
Singular possessive adjectives, therefore, are always preceded by a definite article!
EXCEPTIONS
The only exception to this rule are possessive adjectives that accompany singular family names: in this case, in fact, they are not preceded by the definite article.
With plural family names, however, the article must be placed.
Mia madre si chiama Sofia.
→ My mother’s name is Sofia: singular family name → NO article
Tuo fratello ha 13 anni.
→ Your brother is 13 years old: singular family name → NO article
Il loro zio fa l’architetto.
→ Their uncle is an architect: “loro”, however, DOES NOT FOLLOW THE RULE! → Article
The plural possessive adjectives are:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | Miei | Mie |
| 2nd person singular | Tuoi | Tue |
| 3rd person singular | Suoi | Sue |
| 1st person plural | Nostri | Nostre |
| 2nd person plural | Vostri | Vostre |
| 3rd person plural | Loro | Loro |
Examples:
Le tue scarpe sono belle
Your shoes are beautiful: “tue” → feminine plural, in agreement with “scarpe”, which is feminine plural + tells us who the shoes belong to: you!
I vostri libri hanno la copertina rovinata
Your books have ruined covers: “vostri” → masculine plural, in agreement with “libri”, hich is masculine plural + tells us who the books belong to: you!
Le loro fidanzate sono molto belle
Their girlfriends are very beautiful: “loro” → è invariabile + is invariable + tells us who the girlfriends “belong” to: them!
I suoi cugini sono inglesi
His cousins are English: nome di famiglia al plurale → With the article
Therefore, even plural possessive adjectives are always preceded by a definite article, without exceptions!
PARTICULARITIES: PROPRIO & ALTRUI
PROPRIO
Among the particularities of the possessive adjective, the uses of “proprio” and “altrui” should be noted:
· Proprio and its declined forms (propria, propri, proprie) can replace the third person possessive adjectives his, hers and theirs but only in cases where there is identity between the subject and the possessor. In general, proprio reinforces the idea of possession expressed by the adjective.
| Carlo ha promesso a Matteo che leggerà subito il suo libro | Carlo promised Matteo that he will read his book right away. | Suo refers to Matteo, and not to the subject of the sentence, which is Carlo |
| Carlo ha prestato a Matteo il proprio libro preferito | Carlo lent Matteo his favorite book. | Proprio refers to Carlo, and there is identity between the subject of the sentence and the owner of the book |
Using proprio is obligatory in sentences with an impersonal verb (“Bisogna lottare per raggiungere i propri obiettivi” – One has to fight to achieve their goals) or in cases where the use of suo might cause doubt or ambiguity:
| Giuseppe ha portato a Marco i suoi libri | Giuseppe brought Marco his books. | The books could be either Giuseppe’s or Marco’s |
| Giuseppe ha portato a Marco i propri libri | Giuseppe brought Marco his books. | The books are undoubtedly Giuseppe’s |
In this sentence, you can use “proprio” instead of “suo” because it is the subject of the sentence (each person) who owns.
ALTRUI
Altrui is an invariable adjective, to be used when one wants to indicate an undefined possessor, but always consisting of a natural person.
It takes on the meaning of “of another” (“di un altro/a”) or “of others” (“di altri/e”) and is usually used to indicate an undefined owner but only for people!
| Non bisogna farsi gli affari altrui | You shouldn’t meddle in other people’s business. |
| Non si deve giudicare la vita altrui | You must not judge the life of others. |
In this case, we don’t know who we’re talking about but they are definitely people.
Since it can be replaced by the preposition “di” + a noun, “altrui” generally follows the noun (just like the preposition would!).
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FAQs
What are possessive adjectives in Italian?
Possessive adjectives (aggettivi possessivi) indicate ownership and correspond to “my,” “your,” “his/her,” etc., in English.
They must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, not the owner.
For example, “il mio libro” (my book) and “la mia casa” (my house).
Do I always need definite articles in Italian?
Yes, Italian generally requires the definite article with possessive adjectives (e.g., “il mio amico” – my friend).
However, there are exceptions, such as when referring to singular family members (e.g., “mia madre” – my mother).
Do possessive adjectives change according to gender?
Possessive adjectives change depending on the gender and number of the noun they describe.
For example, “mio” becomes “mia” for feminine singular nouns, “miei” for masculine plural, and “mie” for feminine plural: “il mio cane” (my dog), “la mia macchina” (my car), “i miei amici” (my friends), “le mie sorelle” (my sisters).
What difference between “suo” and “loro”?
“Suo” (his/her/its) refers to singular ownership, while “loro” (their) is used for both singular and plural possessive forms. For example, “il suo libro” (his/her book) vs. “il loro libro” (their book).
Can possessive adjectives be used without a noun?
Yes, possessive adjectives can sometimes stand alone when the noun is implied, especially in conversational Italian.
For example, “Questa è la mia” (This is mine) implies “my thing,” without needing to state the noun explicitly.
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