A Guide to Possessive Adjectives in Italian
The Italian language is known for its romantic reputation, melodic vocabulary, and an almost poetic, lyrical structure.
Oh, and don’t forget the two dozen possessive adjectives!
Italian is famously complex in some regards, and possessive adjectives in Italian add another layer of nuance for new language learners.
Pimsleur can help you learn the language – Italian possessive adjectives and all – in a matter of weeks. While Italian possessives seem daunting at first glance, expert guidance and engaging, immersive lessons will ensure you understand how to use all twenty-four.
Wait…there are how many Italian possessive adjectives? Don’t worry. Pimsleur’s got you covered.
Understanding Italian Possessive Adjectives
Less of an overwhelming burden in English (we have only eight possessive adjectives), Italian’s possessive adjective learning curve is a little steeper. With twenty-four total possessive adjectives (yep, that’s three times as many as English, if you’re counting), Italian has one of the most robust assortments of this speech element.
Quick refresher on possessive adjectives, just in case you forgot: they infer possession of nouns. In other words, they show to whom or what something belongs. English possessive adjectives are relatively straightforward, and (much to the joy of native English speakers) limited in number.
Examples:
- His book
- Their vacation plans
- My attitude
- Its color
- Our dog
You get the idea. Simple and straight to the point. Now, enter the Italian language. Possessive adjectives in Italian are dependent on two factors:
- If the noun being referred to is masculine or feminine.
- If the noun being referred to is singular or plural.
With these rules in place, Italian possessives fall into one of four categories: masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, or feminine plural.
Here are all twenty-four possessive articles in Italian:
Masculine singular
- mio – my
- tuo – your
- suo – his / her / its
- nostro – our
- vostro – your
- loro – their
Feminine singular
- mia – my
- tua – your
- sua – his / her / its
- nostra – our
- vostra – your
- loro – their
Masculine plural
- miei – my
- tuoi – your
- suoi – his / her / its
- nostri – our
- vostri – your
- loro – their
Feminine plural
- mie – my
- tue – your
- sue – his / her / its
- nostre – our
- vostre – your
- loro – their
How to Use Italian Possessive Adjectives Correctly
There are two key guidelines to follow with possessive adjectives in Italian:
- The gender and number (singular or plural) are based on the noun referred to, not the subject
- Italian possessive adjectives require an article
Let’s look more closely at the first rule: when selecting a possessive adjective, look at the noun that the possessive adjective is describing. English is relatively simple when it comes to possessive adjectives. When something belongs to a woman, we use “her.” For a man, we say “his.” And “their” is used when something belongs to someone who uses they/them pronouns rather than the binary she/he. In English, the speaker or writer does not need to think about the linguistic gender of the noun being described, only the owner or possessor of the noun.
If only Italian were so simple! In the language of love, the possessive adjective is determined by the noun referred to.
For example, “apartment” (l’appartamento) in Italian is masculine. So, it always gets the masculine possessive adjectives mio or miei.
- il mio appartamento – my apartment
- i miei appartamenti – my apartments
Shoes (la scarpa), on the other hand (or foot), are feminine in Italian. Regardless of whether the subject is a man or woman, la scarpa always gets a feminine possessive adjective.
- la mia scarpa – my shoe
- le mie scarpe – my shoes
Make sense so far? Great. Now let’s see how the second guideline complicates things!
Possessive adjectives in Italian need a definite article (il, i, gli, lo, la or le) or indefinite article (un, uno, una). To keep it simple, a definite article is the English equivalent of “the”, while the indefinite article equates to “a / an”.
Note the articles accompanying the Italian possessive adjectives below:
- Il tuo cane ha delle macchie. – Your dog has some spots.
- Quello è il loro equipaggiamento. – That is their equipment.
- Sono queste le chiavi di Marco? Sì, le chiavi sono le sue. – Are these Marco’s keys? Yes, the keys are his. (Remember: sue agrees with chiavi, but it translates to “his,” “her,” or “its.” Since we know the person in question is Marco, we can translate as “his.”)
- Questa è la casa di Maria? Sì, questa casa è la sua. – Is this Maria’s house? Yes, this house is hers. (Remember: sua agrees with casa, but it translates to “his,” “her,” or “its.” Since we know the person in question is Maria, we can translate as “her.”)
Master these two rules for Italian possessive articles, and you’re on your way to conversational speaking!
Mastering Italian Possessive Adjectives for Fluent Conversations
Nailing down Italian possessives is just one aspect of learning Italian. A popular language to acquire for native English speakers, Italian presents many challenges for anyone trying to learn it.
If you’ve thought about studying Italian for professional or personal reasons – or for any reason – Pimsleur empowers you with intuitive, easily accessible Italian courses and lessons. For Italian only, our Premium subscription is for you. If your learning goals are more ambitious and you’d like access to every Pimsleur language (we have over 50), sign up for our All Access subscription.Let’s practice one more Italian possessive adjective before we say ciao: Raggiungi i tuoi obiettivi oggi stesso e inizia a imparare l’italiano! (That’s “Accomplish your goals today and start learning Italian!). Thanks for visiting Pimsleur! Ciao!