Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives

Possessive pronouns and adjectives take the same form. In most cases, the definite article is part of the possessive form.

Following is a chart which lists the possessives, as well as their English translations.

	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural
my/mine	il mio	la mia	i miei	le mie
your/yours	il tuo	la tua	i tuoi	le tue
your/yours (formal)	il Suo	la Sua	i Suoi	le Sue
his/hers/its	il suo	la sua	i suoi	le sue
our/ours	il nostro	la nostra	i nostri	le nostre
your/yours	il vostro	la vostra	i vostri	le vostre
their/theirs	il loro	la loro	i loro	le loro

Rules and uses

1. Possessive adjectives usually precede the noun they modify. They must agree in gender and number with the object possessed, and not with the person who possesses it.
   
   

   La signora e il suo gatto. The lady and her cat. I nostri prodotti sono ottimi. Our products are excellent. Pier Massimo ama la sua macchina. Pier Massimo loves his car.

   
   
2. If any clarification is needed, di lui and di lei are used.
   
   

   È l’opinione di lui! It’s his opinion! Credo sia il libro di lei. I believe it is her book.

   
   
3. If a possessive is preceded by a preposition, the article must combine with that preposition to create an articulated preposition (preposizione articolata).
   
   

   Dal mio punto di vista, non sembra ideale. From my point of view, it doesn’t seem ideal. Vicino al suo negozio, c’è un albergo. Near his store, there is a hotel.

   
   
4. It is common to use the possessive adjective proprio (il proprio, la propria, i propri, le proprie) to reinforce a possessive or to mean one’s own. It is commonly used in impersonal expressions. See the following examples.
   
   

   Non sa stare al proprio posto. He doesn’t know his (own) place. È necessario conoscere i propri figli. It’s important to know your (own) children (one’s own children). Ho pagato tutto con i miei propri soldi. I paid for everything with my own money.

   
   
5. The possessive adjective is used without the definite article when it modifies a noun which expresses a family relationship in the singular. The exception to this is il loro, which always requires an article. Have a look at the following examples.
   
   

   mia madre		my mother
   mio zio		my uncle
   i miei zii		my uncles
   nostra sorella		our sister
   le nostre sorelle		our sisters
   vostro padre		your father
   i vostri padri		your fathers
   il loro fratello		their brother
   i loro fratelli		their brothers

   
   NB: If the family noun is modified, or if it has a suffix, the article must be used. See the following differences.
   
   

   mia moglie		my wife
   la mia futura moglie		my future wife
   sua sorella		his sister
   la sua sorellina		his little sister
   suo padre		his father
   il suo papà		his dad

   
   The expressions i miei, i tuoi, etc. refer to one’s parents.
   
   

   I miei abitano a Pescara. My parents live in Pescara. Quanti anni hanno i tuoi? How hold are your parents?

   
   
6. Some common expressions use a possessive adjective without a definite article. This possessive adjective may be placed after the noun.
   
   

   casa mia (tua, etc.)		my house
   da parte mia (tua, etc.)		on my behalf
   colpa mia (tua, etc.)		my fault

   
   
7. Possessives are rarely used in Italian when referring to parts of the body or articles of clothing.
   
   

   Mi sono rotta il piede. I broke my foot. Deve trovare la giacca. She has to find her jacket.