Mio, tuo,… Which are the possessives? Should you use the possessive with or without the article? Do you say mia mamma or la mia mamma? Let’s learn the possessives in Italian and their rules.
The possessives in Italian
Possessives are words that indicate a possession, like Questo è il mio cane This is my dog. Possessives in Italian are based in gender and number on what is possessed. They are usually accompanied by the definite article.
WHAT IS OWNED | ||||
OWNER | MASCULIN SG. | FEMININ SG. | MASCULIN PL. | FEMININ PL. |
io | il mio cane | la mia casa | i miei libri | le mie amiche |
tu | il tuo cane | la tua casa | i tuoi libri | le tue amiche |
lui, lei | il suo cane | la sua casa | i suoi libri | le sue amiche |
noi | il nostro cane | la nostra casa | i nostri libri | le nostre amiche |
voi | il vostro cane | la vostra casa | i vostri libri | le vostre amiche |
loro | il loro cane | la loro casa | i loro libri | le loro amiche |
Note on SUO
As you can see, no distinction is made between male and female owner: il suo cane his/her dog.
Note on LORO
The possessive for multiple possessors is loro and is not adapted, i.e. it always remains loro: il loro libro their book, i loro libri their books.
Do I use the possessive with or without the article?
Basically with article
As mentioned above, possessives in Italian are usually accompanied by the definite article.
Questa è la mia casa. | This is my house. |
I tuoi amici sono molto simpatici. | Your friends are very nice. |
Without article: Family members (singular)
Family members like the following, in turn, do not need the article:
- madre mother
- padre father
- sorella sister
- fratello brother
- zio/a uncle/aunt
- cugino/a cousin
- figlio/a son/daughter
- marito/moglie husband/wife
- nipote nephew/niece/grandson/granddaughter
However, this rule applies only in the singular and to all persons except “loro”. Look at the following table:
FAMILY | ||||
OWNER | MASCULIN SG. | FEMININ SG. | MASCULIN PL. | FEMININ PL. |
io | mio padre | mia madre | i miei genitori | le mie madri |
tu | tuo fratello | tua sorella | i tuoi fratelli | le tue sorelle |
lui, lei | suo figlio | sua figlia | i suoi figli | le sue figlie |
noi | nostro nipote | nostra nipote | i nostri nipoti | le nostre nipoti |
voi | vostro marito | vostra moglie | i vostri mariti | le vostre mogli |
loro | il loro cugino | la loro cugina | i loro cugini | le loro cugine |
Exceptions
Other words of family members such as papà dad, mamma mom and nonno/a grandpa/grandma, which are more pet names, can be both with or without article: la mia mamma / mia mamma my mom. With article is generally the recommended and more correct variant.
However you should also add the article to family members in the singular in the following cases:
- when accompanied by an adjective: la mia figlia maggiore my elder daughter.
- with diminutive forms: il mio fratellino my little brother.
Esercizi
1. Drag the possessives to the right place.
2. Choose the sentences that are correct.
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