Italian Possessive Pronouns Pronomi Possessivi

Italian possessive pronouns (pronomi possessivi) serve the same function of their English counterparts: They replace a noun previously used with a possessive adjective (aggettivo possessivo) in order to avoid repetition. They translate to the English mine, yours, â€Å"his, hers, yours, and theirs: That is your car; this is mine. Questa à ¨ la tua macchina; quella à ¨ la mia.That is my book; this is yours. Quello à ¨ il mio libro; questo à ¨ il tuo. Those are Laras cats; that is mine. Quelli sono i gatti di Lara; quello à ¨ il mio. The latter is the possessive pronoun. Just like their fellow possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns must agree in number and gender with the noun they replace (the thing whose possession we are discussing) and are accompanied by the appropriate definite article (articolo determinativo), also in agreement, or articulated proposition (if there is also a preposition). Possessive Pronouns in Italian masculine singular feminine singular masculine plural feminine plural mine il mio la mia i miei le mie yours il tuo la tua i tuoi le tue his/hers/yours formal il suo la sua i suoi le sue ours il nostro la nostra i nostri le nostre yours il vostro la vostra i vostri le vostre theirs il loro la loro i loro le loro For example: Suo figlio à ¨ molto studioso; non posso dire altrettanto del mio. Your son is very studious; I cannot say the same of mine.Mia madre à ¨ pià ¹ severa della tua. My mother is stricter than yours.Il nostro disegno à ¨ sul nostro tavolo; il vostro à ¨ sul vostro. Our drawing is on our table; yours is on yours.I miei interessi contrastano con i loro. My interests conflict with theirs.La mia Vespa va pià ¹ forte della tua. My Vespa goes faster than yours. If you are introducing someone elses possession into the sentence with a proper name (mine, yours, and Giulias, for example), you need to use the regular Italian possessive di with the pronome dimostrativo quello/a/i/e or you need to repeat the noun. Il mio cane à ¨ molto simpatico, il tuo un po meno, e quello di Carlo à ¨ proprio antipatico. My dog is very cool, yours a little less, and Carlos (that of Carlo) is really stuffy.La casa di Giulia à ¨ molto grande, la tua à ¨ piccola, la mia à ¨ piccolissima, e quella di Francesca à ¨ enorme. Giulias house is very big, yours is little, mine is tiny, and Francescas (that of Francesca) is enormous.La tua famiglia à ¨ cinese, la mia francese. E la famiglia di Gianni? Your family is Chinese, mine is French. And Giannis (that of Gianni)? Other Ways to Use Possessive Pronouns In a particular set of constructs or expressions, possessive pronouns stand in for nouns that go completely unmentioned and whose meaning or presence, because of longstanding use in those particular contexts, is understood. In other words, rather than standing in for a noun, they replace it without any need for the noun to be mentioned at all. If it feels like something is missing, its because it is. One's Stuff or Property In certain contexts, the masculine singular possessive pronoun form il mio, il tuo, il suo, etc., implies cià ² che appartiene a me, or cià ² che spetta a me—my stuff, that which belongs to me, or my due. For example: Il tuo non te lo tocca nessuno. No one is going to touch yours (what belongs to you).Stai nel tuo e io sto nel mio. You stay in yours (where you belong, in your property or space) and I stay in mine (where I belong).Dateci il nostro e ce ne andremo. Give us ours (our due) and we’ll go.Vivono del loro. They live of their own (with their own production).Non pretende che il suo. He doesn’t demand anything but his own (what is rightfully his). And there is the famous saying, A ciascuno il suo. To each his own. As you can see, there is no noun to say cià ² che appartiene a me; the pronoun does it. My Business With the verb fare, in the masculine plural i miei, i tuoi, etc. can be used to mean business (affari, fatti, or cavoli, a euphemism for ones private matters). In other words, to mind your or someones business. Te fatti i tuoi e io mi faccio i miei. You mind yours (your business) and I will mind mine.Si deve sempre fare quelli degli altri. She always has to mind other peoples business (that of others). Family Members In talking about family members you use the masculine plural possessive pronoun (i miei, i tuoi, etc.) to mean parents or relatives generally (or cari, dear ones). Vivo con i miei means, I live with my parents, without mention of parents. Salutami i tuoi. Say hi to yours (your parents) for me.Non potrà   pià ¹ contare sullaiuto dei suoi. He will not be able to count on the help of his (his parents).Sei sempre nel cuore dei miei. You are always in the heart of my dear ones. It can also indicate supporters or troops related to battles, rivalries, or games. Arrivano i nostri. Ours (our reinforcements) are arriving.Anchio sono dei vostri. I’m with you (one of yours).È uno dei loro. He’s one of them (of theirs). Correspondence In correspondence, the feminine singular possessive pronoun (la mia, la tua, la sua) implies the word letter: Spero che tu abbia ricevuto la mia ultima. I hope you received my last (letter/e-mail).Rispondo con un po di ritardo alla tua carissima. I’m responding a bit late to your dear (letter). On Someone's Side Used generally with the verbs essere and stare, the singular feminine possessive pronoun mia or tua stands in for parte, which means side, as in being on someones side. Sto dalla tua parte: sto dalla tua. I am on your side. Anche lui ora à ¨ dalla mia. He’s on mine (my side) too now.Noi stiamo tutti dalla tua. We’re all on yours (your side).Tutto il paese sembre essere dalla sua. The whole town seems to be on his (his side). The parte or side is entirely understood from the context. One's Proclivities Used with the verbs dire (to say), fare (to do/pull), or combinare (do/pull), possessive pronouns are used in the expressions una delle mie (one of mine), una delle tue (one of yours), una delle sue (one of his/hers), and so forth, to reference something peculiar to that person; something for which that person is known for doing or saying—sort of like an MO. It can mean behaving in a particular way, or saying something outrageous, but it remains unspoken, covered by the pronoun. The specific meaning is known to the insiders in the conversation. Marco si à ¨ un po ubriacato e ne ha fatta una delle sue solite. Marco got a little drunk and pulled one of his (usual stunts).Ne hai combinata ancora una delle tue.  You pulled one of yours (one of your usual tricks/fast ones).Francesco ne ha detta una delle sue e la Luisa si à ¨ arrabbiata. Francesco said one of his usual (things) and Luisa got mad.Questa à ¨ unaltra delle loro. This is another one of theirs (usual things/tricks). Opinion Used with the verb dire, the feminine singular possessive mia, tua, sua, etc., refers to opinione: We are talking here about expressing an opinion without mentioning the opinion at all. Te hai detto la tua; io ho diritto a dire la mia. You said yours (your opinion) and I have a right to say mine.Tutti hanno voluto dire la loro e la riunione à ¨ durata tanto. Everyones wanted to say theirs (their opinion) and the meeting lasted a long time.La Maria deve sempre dire la sua. Maria always has to say hers (her opinion). Cheers And, of course, when toasting to someones health or salute: Alla tua! To your health!Alla nostra! To our health! It is understood that that is what we are toasting to. Alla vostra!