| aggettivi possessivi | ||||
| possessive adjective + singular noun possessive adjective + plural noun | ||||
| masculine possessive |
feminine possessive |
meaning | masculine possessive |
feminine possessive |
| il mio | la mia | my | i miei | le mie |
| il tuo | la tua | your (s) | i tuoi | le tue |
| il suo | la sua | his/ her | i suoi | le sue |
| il nostro | la nostra | our | i nostri | le nostre |
| il vostro | la vostra | your (p) | i vostri | le vostre |
| il loro | la loro | their | i loro | le loro |
Notes
- ‘loro’ is invariable
- possessive adjectives require the definite article with names of relatives in the plural and for loro (their)
- there is no difference in Italian between ‘his’ and ‘her’ because the gender of the possessive adjective agrees with the noun that follows (it does not agree with the gender of the ‘owner.’
- some endings for the masculine possessive plural adjectives are quite irregular (i miei, i tuoi, i suoi).
Examples
| aggettivi possessivi | |
| Le sue amiche | his/ her friends |
| I suoi genitori | his/her parents |
| La sua macchina | his/ her car |
| I loro libri | their books |
Possessive adjectives with names of relatives
| possessive adjectives with names of relatives | |
| mio padre | my father |
| mia madre | my mother |
| mia nipote |
my niece/ granddaugher |
| tuo fratello | your brother |
| suo nonno | his/ her grandfather |
| sua nonna | his/her grandmother |
| sua cognata | his/ her sister-in-law |
| nostro cognato | our brother-in-law |
| nostra sorella | our sister |
| vostro nipote | your (p) nephew/ grandson |
| vostro zio | your (p) uncle |
| i miei genitori | my parents |
| le nostre sorelle | our sisters |
| i suoi nonni | his/ her grandparents |
| i vostri zii | your (p) uncles |
| le loro zie | their aunts |
| le mie nipoti | my nieces/ my granddaughters |
| i vostri nipoti | your (p) nephews/ grandsons |
| le sue cognate | his/ her sisters-in-law |
| i nostri cognati | our brothers-in-law |
Notes
The same word (‘nipote’) is used for grandson, granddaughter, niece and nephew.
