Understanding Italian Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

The Italian possessive adjectives are as follows:

Singular Forms

• Mio (my, masculine)

• Mia (my, feminine)

• Tuo (your, masculine)

• Tua (your, feminine)

• Suo (his/her, masculine)

• Sua (his/her, feminine)

• Nostro (our, masculine)

• Nostra (our, feminine)

• Vostro (your, masculine)

• Vostra (your, feminine)

• Loro (their, masculine/feminine – invariable)

Plural Forms

• Miei (my, masculine)

• Mie (my, feminine)

• Tuoi (your, masculine)

• Tue (your, feminine)

• Suoi (his/her, masculine)

• Sue (his/her, feminine)

• Nostri (our, masculine)

• Nostre (our, feminine)

• Vostri (your, masculine)

• Vostre (your, feminine)

• Loro (their, masculine/feminine – invariable)

These possessive adjectives are used attributively when placed before a noun to show ownership or association.

For example:

✅ Il mio cane è un bulldog francese (My dog is a French Bulldog)

✅ Ho perso la mia valigetta (I lost my briefcase)

✅ I suoi cavalli sono enormi (His/her horses are huge)

✅ Le nostre storie sono simili (Our stories are similar)

These adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. When we say i suoi cavalli (his/her horses) we use suoi because cavalli is masculine plural, even if the person who owns the horses happens to be female.

When to use the article

In Italian, possessive adjectives typically require the definite article (il, la, i, le) when placed before most nouns.

We say:

✅ Il loro cane è pigro (Their dog is lazy)

✅ La loro cagnetta è pigra (Their small female dog is lazy)

✅ La mia valigia ha la cerniera rotta (My suitcase’s zipper is broken)

We don’t say:

❌ Loro cane è pigro (incorrect)

❌ Loro cagnetta è pigra (incorrect)

❌ Mia valigia ha la cerniera rotta (incorrect)

This rule also applies when the article is contracted in expressions with del (di + il) or della (di + la).

For example:

✅ Lui è geloso del mio migliore amico (He’s jealous of my best friend)

❌ Lui è geloso di mio migliore amico (incorrect)

✅ Ho fatto del mio meglio (I did my best)

❌ Ho fatto di mio meglio (incorrect)

Two exceptions

There are, however, two main exceptions:

1. Vocative expressions

2. Close family members (in the singular form)

In vocative expressions, the article is not used.

Examples:

✅ Dio mio! (My God!)

✅ Caro mio! (My dear!)

This also applies to other vocative expressions with possessive adjectives, such as Mio Dio!

The second exception applies to close family members in the singular form. When referring to singular family members, we don’t use the article between the possessive adjective and the noun.

Let’s see some examples:

✅ Mio marito è molto bello (My husband is very handsome)

❌ Il mio marito è molto bello (incorrect)

✅ Mia moglie è molto intelligente (My wife is very intelligent)

❌ La mia moglie è molto intelligente (incorrect)

✅ La macchina è di mio marito (It’s my husband’s car)

❌ La macchina è del mio marito (incorrect)

✅ L’orologio di mia moglie è guasto (My wife’s watch is broken)

❌ L’orologio della mia moglie è guasto (incorrect)

Interestingly, boyfriends and girlfriends don’t make the cut and don’t fall under this rule, requiring the article:

✅ Il mio fidanzato (My boyfriend/fiancé)

✅ La mia fidanzata (My girlfriend/fiancée)

❌ Mio fidanzato

❌ Mia fidanzata

So, who are the close family members who follow this rule? Here are some common examples:

• Mio marito (My husband)

• Mia moglie (My wife)

• Mio padre (My father)

• Mia madre (My mother)

• Mio figlio (My son)

• Mia figlia (My daughter)

• Mio fratello (My brother)

• Mia sorella (My sister)

• Mio cugino (My cousin - male)

• Mia cugina (My cousin - female)

• Mio zio (My uncle)

• Mia zia (My aunt)

• Mio nonno (My grandfather)

• Mia nonna (My grandmother)

• Mio cognato (My brother-in-law)

• Mia cognata (My sister-in-law)

• Mia suocera (My mother-in-law)

• Mio suocero (My father-in-law)

We say:

✅ Mio cugino si sposa (My cousin is getting married)

❌ Il mio cugino si sposa (incorrect)

However, when distinguishing a family member from others, the article is used:

✅ Il mio cugino preferito è Marco (My favorite cousin is Marco)

❌ Mio cugino preferito è Marco (incorrect)

For plural family members, the article is always required:

✅ I miei genitori

✅ Le mie zie

❌ Miei genitori

❌ Mie zie

Possessive Pronouns in Italian

I’d be remiss if I didn’t briefly cover possessive pronouns as well, particularly since Italian uses the same words for both possessive adjectives and pronouns.

When mio, tuo, etc., are used predicatively (following a verb) or substantively (standing in for a noun), they function as possessive pronouns rather than possessive adjectives.

For example:

✅ Il bulldog francese è mio (Predicatively: The French Bulldog is mine)

✅ La macchina è sua (Predicatively: The car is his/hers)

✅ La mia è più bella (Substantively: Mine is prettier)

In English, we distinguish between my and mine, your and yours, etc. In Italian, however, we use the same words for both possessive adjectives and pronouns.

There’s not much to learn about possessive pronouns specifically, but here are three general rules worth knowing:

1. They agree in gender and number with the noun.

Like possessive adjectives, they agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to or stand in for—not the subject of the sentence:

✅ Lui ha la macchina nuova; la mia è vecchia (He has a new car; mine is old)

❌ Lui ha la macchina nuova; il mio è vecchio (incorrect)

It’s la mia, not il mio, because it refers to macchina (car), which is feminine, not the male car owner.

2. Used predicatively, the definite article is not used.

When a possessive pronoun follows a verb (i.e., used predicatively), we generally don’t use the definite article:

✅ La macchina è mia (The car is mine)

You could say, La macchina è la mia (The car is mine) to imply a stronger emphasis on possession. For example, La macchina è la mia e decido io dove andare (The car is mine, and I decide where to go).

However, La macchina è mia is more common in general usage.

3. Used substantively, the definite article is used.

When the possessive pronoun stands in for a noun without following a verb (used substantively), the definite article is required:

✅ Lui ha la macchina nuova, la mia è vecchia (He has a new car, mine is old)

❌ Lui ha la macchina nuova, mia è vecchia (incorrect)

Recap

This was a lot to take in! Italian possessive grammar does come with a few rules and exceptions.

This is why pairing this grammar lesson with plenty of exposure to Italian through reading, watching, and listening is key. It will help you develop an ear for natural usage, where “mio fidanzato” without the article will start to sound very wrong.

In the meantime, here’s a simplified recap of the rules:

• The possessive adjective or pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to or replaces (e.g., La mia valigia).

• Use the article with possessive adjectives (e.g., il mio cane).

  • Exception: Don’t use the article for singular close family members (e.g., mio marito).

• Don’t use the article with possessive pronouns used predicatively (e.g., La casa è mia) or vocatively (e.g., Dio mio!).

• Use the article when the possessive pronoun is used substantively (e.g., La macchina di Carlo è verde; la mia è rossa).

Exercises

Please note that some of these exercises are fairly challenging. The answer key is provided below to premium subscribers.

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Possessive Adjectives

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive adjective:

1. ______ sorella vive a Roma. (My sister lives in Rome.)

2. ______ amici sono tutti italiani. (Her friends are all Italian.)

3. ______ zia cucina molto bene. (Your aunt cooks very well. - informal)

4. ______ nonni hanno una casa a Viareggio. (Their grandparents have a house in Viareggio.)

5. ______ libro è sulla scrivania. (My book is on the desk.)

6. ______ computer è lento. (Your computer is slow. - informal)

7. ______ cognato è sempre in ritardo. (My brother-in-law is always late.)

8. ______ insegnante preferito è Paolo. (Her favorite teacher is Paolo.)

9. ______ figlio studia medicina. (Her son studies medicine.)

10. ______ genitori sono di Napoli. (My parents are from Naples.)

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Possessive Pronouns

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronouns:

1. ______ è molto più veloce. (Mine is a lot faster. - assume it’s a car)

2. ______ auto è un diesel, ______ è elettrica. (My car runs on diesel, yours is electric. - informal)

3. ______ appartamento è grande, invece ______ è piccolo. (Their apartment is big, instead ours is small.)

4. Dio ______ ! Che succede? (My God! What’s happening?)

5. Amore ______, mi sei mancato! (My love, I missed you!)

6. È tutta colpa ______! (It’s all his fault!)

7. ______ sorella ha studiato lingue, mentre ______ studia economia. (His sister studied languages, while mine studies economy.)