ILGUR: Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource

You might have encountered this little possessive adjective, altrui, and wondered what it means and how it is used. Altrui means of others (di altri), other people’s…, or someone else’s and is an invariable possessive (which means that it doesn’t change form because of gender or number) that refers to an undefined and unknown number of possessors.

It always refers only to people, and it typically follows the noun it modifies:

Mia madre mi dice sempre che devo evitare i problemi altrui.

My mother always tells me that I have to avoid the problems of others.

Non mi piace fumare in casa altrui.

I don’t like to smoke at other people’s houses.

Madre: Dani, non toccare la roba altrui!

Danilo: Mi spiace, mamma!

Mother: Dani, don’t touch other people’s things.

Danilo: Sorry, mom!

Proprio is one of those words in Italian that is often misused, even by Italians. Proprio, as an adverb,  means “really” (È proprio interessante!).  It can also be used as a possessive if it meets the following critera:

When the possession is that of an indefinite pronoun or the subject is impersonal (si), proprio is obligatory to express possession:

Tutti vogliono possedere le proprie case.

Everyone wants to own their own home.

Durante una vacanza si rilassa meglio con la propria stanza invece di condividere.

During a vacation one relaxes better with one’s own room instead of sharing.

In order to avoid ambiguity when the possessors are of the same person (third person singular or plural: suo and loro) and only if the subject of the sentence and the possessor are the same — the use of proprio signals to the reader or speaker that the possessor and subject are one and the same:

Marcello deve andare a Napoli per aiutare Annalisa con un progetto. Marcello non userà la propria macchina — non vuole partire.

Marcello has to go to Naples to help Annalisa with a project. Marcello will not use his (own) car — it doesn’t want to start.

In the example above, if sua were to be used, it would signal that the car is Annalisa’s. The use of propria reinforces to the reader whose car is being used (in this case, Marcello’s)

Proprio can also be used to express own, as in: my own, his own, your own, etc. as a means of reinforcing the standard possessivo:

Ora che ho i soldi, voglio la mia propria bici! Non mi piace dividere con mia sorella.

Now that I have money, I want my own bike. I don’t like sharing with my sister.

Possessives in English can be either pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs) or adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, your, their).

In Italian, the possessive adjectives and pronouns are the same word. The way to differentiate whether an Italian possessive is an adjective or a pronoun is by its usage. If the possessive is modifying a noun, then it is a possessive adjective. If it is being used on its own or with a definite article, then it is a possessive pronoun.

In Italian, the possessives are typically coupled with a definite article (although there are exceptions – see below). Possessives must agree in gender and number with the noun they are modifying or referring to when used as pronouns.



Rules regarding possessives:

1. Possessives are generally preceded by a definite article – they agree with the object they modify and not the owner of the article:
   
   Dov’è la tua ghiacca?
   Where is your coat?
   
   Non posso trovare le mie chiavi.
   I can’t find my keys.
   
   
2. When a possessive pronoun directly follows essere and means mine, yours, etc, omit the article:
   
   Di chi è questa macchina? È mia.
   Whose car is this? It’s mine.
   
   
3. Omit the definite article when used with family members in the singular:
   
   Mio fratello non è a casa.
   My brother is not home.
   
   
4. With the possessive loro, family members in the plural, or family members in the singular modified by another adjective, the article is required:
   
   plural family member:
   Le mie sorelle sono occupate.
   My sisters are busy.
   
   use of the possessive, loro:
   I loro zii fanno gli avvocati?
   Their uncles are lawyers?
   
   family member modified by an adjective:
   La sua madre simpatica aiuta sempre i bambini con i loro compiti.
   Her nice mother always helps the children with their homework.
   
   
5. Suo, Sua, Suoi, Sue when capitalized refer to the formal Lei form of the possessive (can also be written in lower case too):
   
   Signor Rossi, dov’è il Suo biglietto?
   Mr. Rossi, where is your ticket?
   
   

Sample sentences using possessives:

• Non posso trovare la mia giacca.
  I cannot find my jacket.
  
  
• Ho perso le tue chiavi. Dove sono le mie?
  I lost your keys. Where are mine?
  
  
• Is your brother visiting this weekend?
  Tuo fratello viene a trovare questo weekend?
  
  
• Her grandparents live in Milano.
  I suoi nonni abitano a Milano.
  
  
• Il loro cane abbaia sempre quando si suona il campanello.
  Their dog always barks when you ring the bell.
  
  
• Il mio bambino energico ama scuotere il sonaglio che hai comprato.
  My energetic child loves to shake the rattle that you bought.