Possessive adjectives — Express ownership and relationships — agree with the noun, not the owner.
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Explanation
Italian possessive adjectives (mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro) agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, not with the owner. They are almost always preceded by a definite article, with one important exception: singular unmodified family nouns.
Italian Examples
Il mio libro è sul tavolo.
My book is on the table.
La tua famiglia abita a Napoli?
Does your family live in Naples?
I suoi amici sono molto simpatici.
His/Her friends are very nice.
Nostro fratello studia a Milano.
Our brother studies in Milan. (no article with singular family nouns)
Pattern / Structure
mio/mia/miei/mie (my)
tuo/tua/tuoi/tue (your, sing.)
suo/sua/suoi/sue (his/her/its)
nostro/nostra/nostri/nostre (our)
vostro/vostra/vostri/vostre (your, pl.)
loro (invariable — their)
Articolo + possessivo tranne con nomi di famiglia singolari: mia madre, tuo fratello
Common Mistakes
Making the possessive agree with the owner's gender instead of the noun: la sua sorella (his or her sister) is always la sua, not la suo.
Adding the article before singular unmodified family nouns: mia madre (not la mia madre).
Confusing suo — Italian has no his/her distinction; context and surrounding information clarify.
Mini Practice Exercise
Fill in with the correct possessive adjective (and article if needed).