In Italian, possessives (possessivi) are used to show who something belongs to or how people are related. They correspond to English words such as my, your, his, her, our, and their, as well as mine, yours, and theirs. Italian possessives change their endings according to the gender and number of the thing or person being described, not the person who owns it. For example, mio and mia both mean my, but mio is used with a masculine singular noun and mia with a feminine singular noun. Another important difference from English is that Italian usually places a definite article before a possessive adjective.
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives (aggettivi possessivi) are used with a noun to show who it belongs to. The most common forms are mio (my), tuo (your), suo (his or her), nostro (our), vostro (your, plural), and loro (their). Most of these follow the regular adjective endings: -o for masculine singular, -a for feminine singular, -i for masculine plural, and -e for feminine plural. However, the masculine plural forms miei (from mio) and tuoi (from tuo) are forms to remember. The possessive loro is different because it never changes. The forms suo and sua can mean either his or her: the correct meaning depends on the context, while the ending depends on the noun.
il mio libro — my book
la mia casa — my house
i miei amici — my friends
le mie amiche — my friends
il suo telefono — his or her phone
la loro macchina — their car
Unlike English, Italian normally uses a definite article before a possessive adjective, as in il mio libro or la tua casa. One important exception concerns singular family members: the article is usually omitted with simple family words such as madre, padre, fratello, and sorella. With plural family nouns, however, the article is normally used: we say mio fratello (my brother), but i miei fratelli (my brothers). The possessive loro is another important exception because it normally keeps the article even with singular family members.
mia madre — my mother
tuo fratello — your brother
il loro padre — their father
i miei fratelli — my brothers
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns (pronomi possessivi) replace a noun that has already been mentioned or is clear from the context. In English, they correspond to mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. In Italian, possessive pronouns have the same forms as possessive adjectives, but they stand without a noun. They usually keep the definite article and must agree in gender and number with the noun they replace. However, after the verb essere (to be), the article can sometimes be omitted.
Questo è il mio libro. Quello è il tuo. — This is my book. That one is yours.
La mia casa è grande. La tua è piccola. — My house is big. Yours is small.
Questi sono i nostri amici. Quelli sono i loro. — These are our friends. Those are theirs.
Summary of Italian Possessives
| Owner | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
| My | mio | mia | miei | mie |
| Your (singular) | tuo | tua | tuoi | tue |
| His / Her | suo | sua | suoi | sue |
| Our | nostro | nostra | nostri | nostre |
| Your (plural) | vostro | vostra | vostri | vostre |
| Their | loro | loro | loro | loro |