What are the Italian possessive adjectives?

Mio (my), tuo (your), suo (his, her, and formal your), nostro (our), vostro (your, plural), and loro (their). Each one except loro has four forms, for example mio, mia, miei, mie, and each normally follows the definite article: il mio, la mia, i miei, le mie.

Why is it mia madre but la mia mamma?

Singular family nouns such as madre, padre, fratello, and sorella drop the article. Mamma and papà are affectionate words, and standard Italian treats them like altered nouns, so they keep it: la mia mamma, il mio papà. In everyday speech, many people also say mia mamma.

How do you say his and her in Italian?

Both are suo, sua, suoi, or sue. The form agrees with the thing owned, not the owner: il suo libro is his book or her book. Context usually makes the owner clear. If it does not, you can say il libro di lui or il libro di lei.

Does loro take an article?

Yes, always. Loro never changes its ending, and it keeps the article even with singular family nouns: la loro madre, il loro figlio. Loro madre without the article is a mistake.

How do you say a friend of mine in Italian?

Use the indefinite article with the possessive: un mio amico, una mia amica. For more than one, use dei or alcuni: dei miei amici, alcuni miei amici (some friends of mine).

Italian grammar · Beginner

Italian Possessive Adjectives

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Italian possessive adjectives (mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro) say who owns something. They agree in gender and number with the thing owned, not with the owner, and they normally come with the definite article: il mio libro, la tua casa. The main exception is a singular family noun with no other word attached, as in mia madre or mio fratello.

Il mio telefono è nella mia borsa.

My phone is in my bag.

What it is

In English, my is one word for everything. In Italian, my changes with the noun it describes: il mio libro, la mia penna, i miei libri, le mie penne. It also comes after a definite article, so the Italian is literally the my book. The owner does not affect the form, which is why suo means both his and her.

Luca e la sua bici, Anna e il suo zaino. (Luca and his bike, Anna and her backpack.) Sua agrees with bici and suo agrees with zaino, not with Luca or Anna.

How to spot it

Look at the noun, not the owner. Its gender and number choose the ending (-o, -a, -i, -e) and the article (il, la, i, le). Then check if the noun is a single family member: if it is, drop the article.

il mio libro (my book (masculine singular))
la tua macchina (your car (feminine singular))
i suoi amici (his or her friends (masculine plural))
mia sorella (my sister (singular family noun, no article))

Loro (their) is the one possessive that never changes its ending, and it always keeps the article, even with family: la loro madre.

Possessive Adjectives Quick Reference

The possessive adjectives with their articles

Owner	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Masculine plural	Feminine plural
io (my)	il mio	la mia	i miei	le mie
tu (your)	il tuo	la tua	i tuoi	le tue
lui / lei / Lei (his, her, your formal)	il suo	la sua	i suoi	le sue
noi (our)	il nostro	la nostra	i nostri	le nostre
voi (your, plural)	il vostro	la vostra	i vostri	le vostre
loro (their)	il loro	la loro	i loro	le loro

Common Possessive Adjectives Examples in Italian

Possessive adjectives in real sentences:

Everyday Things

Il mio telefono è scarico.: My phone is dead.
Dove sono le tue chiavi?: Where are your keys?
La nostra casa è vicino al centro.: Our house is near the centre.

The article is part of the possessive. Il mio telefono is the normal way to say my phone.

His or Her

Marco adora la sua macchina.: Marco loves his car.
Giulia ha perso il suo portafoglio.: Giulia has lost her wallet.

La sua with a man and il suo with a woman: the form follows the object, not the owner.

Family

Mia sorella vive a Torino.: My sister lives in Turin.
I miei genitori sono in pensione.: My parents are retired.
La loro figlia studia medicina.: Their daughter studies medicine.
La mia sorellina ha sei anni.: My little sister is six.

Singular family nouns drop the article. Plurals, loro, and altered forms such as sorellina keep it.

A Friend of Mine

Stasera esco con un mio amico.: Tonight I'm going out with a friend of mine.

Italian has no of mine construction. It puts the indefinite article before the possessive instead.

How Italian Possessive Adjectives Work

Four rules cover almost every case: agreement, the article, the family exception, and loro.

Agree With the Thing Owned

The ending matches the gender and number of the noun that follows. The owner does not matter. This is why suo can mean his or her, and why a man talks about la sua penna.

Luca cerca la sua penna.

Luca is looking for his pen.

penna is feminine → la sua.

The Definite Article Comes First

In most cases you need the definite article before the possessive: il mio, la mia, i miei, le mie. English has no article here, so learners often leave it out.

Il mio libro è sul tavolo.

My book is on the table.

article + possessive + noun.

Singular Family Nouns Drop the Article

With a single family member and nothing else attached, leave out the article: mio padre, mia madre, mio fratello, tua sorella, suo marito, nostra zia. The rule covers basic family words such as padre, madre, fratello, sorella, figlio, figlia, marito, moglie, zio, zia, nonno, nonna, cugino, and cugina.

Mio padre lavora in banca.

My father works in a bank.

mio padre, not il mio padre.

The Article Comes Back

The article returns when the family noun is plural (i miei fratelli), has an adjective (il mio fratello maggiore), or has a suffix (la mia sorellina). It is also standard with the affectionate words mamma and papà (la mia mamma, il mio papà), though you will also hear mia mamma in everyday speech.

I miei nonni abitano in campagna.

My grandparents live in the country.

plural, adjective, suffix, mamma → article.

Loro Never Changes and Always Has the Article

Loro has one form for every gender and number. Only the article changes: il loro, la loro, i loro, le loro. The family exception does not apply to loro, so their mother is la loro madre.

Hanno venduto la loro casa.

They've sold their house.

la loro madre, never loro madre.

Common Mistakes with Possessive Adjectives

Incorrect: Mio libro è nuovo. (My book is new.)

Correct: Il mio libro è nuovo. (My book is new.)

English has no article before my, so learners drop it in Italian too. Outside the family exception, the article is required.

Incorrect: La mia madre è insegnante. (My mother is a teacher.)

Correct: Mia madre è insegnante. (My mother is a teacher.)

A single family member with no adjective or suffix takes no article. This is the one place where Italian matches English.

Incorrect: Loro madre è simpatica. (Their mother is nice.)

Correct: La loro madre è simpatica. (Their mother is nice.)

The family exception never applies to loro. It always keeps the article.

Incorrect: Giulia ha perso la sua portafoglio. (Giulia has lost her wallet.)

Correct: Giulia ha perso il suo portafoglio. (Giulia has lost her wallet.)

Learners choose the feminine because Giulia is a woman. The possessive agrees with portafoglio, which is masculine.

Possessives After the Noun and With Un

Two patterns do not follow the article rule, and both are very common.

Un mio amico: a friend of mine

To say a friend of mine, a colleague of his, and so on, put the indefinite article before the possessive.

un mio amico: a friend of mine
una sua collega: a colleague of his or hers
Un mio cugino vive in Australia.: A cousin of mine lives in Australia.

Dei miei amici means some of my friends: Ho invitato dei miei amici.

Fixed expressions with the possessive after the noun

In a few common expressions, the possessive comes after the noun and there is no article.

Vieni a cena a casa mia?: Are you coming to dinner at my place?
Scusa, è colpa mia.: Sorry, it's my fault.
Mamma mia, che caldo.: Good heavens, it's so hot.

A casa mia, a casa tua, a casa sua are the normal way to say at my place, at your place, at his or her place.

Suo or di lui when it is unclear

Because suo can mean his or her, Italian uses di lui or di lei after the noun when the context does not make the owner clear.

Anna e Paolo sono venuti con la macchina di lui.: Anna and Paolo came in his car.

Most of the time context is enough, and la sua macchina is the normal choice.

Quick Check: Possessive Adjectives

Choose the right possessive and decide if it needs the article.

1. Translate: my brother

Answer: mio fratello

Singular family noun, so no article.

2. Translate: my brothers

Answer: i miei fratelli

The plural brings the article back.

3. Translate: their father

Answer: il loro padre

Loro always keeps the article.

4. Translate: Paolo and his keys

Answer: Paolo e le sue chiavi

Chiavi is feminine plural, so le sue.

5. Translate: a friend of ours

Answer: un nostro amico

Indefinite article + possessive.

Possessive Adjectives FAQs

What are the Italian possessive adjectives?: Mio (my), tuo (your), suo (his, her, and formal your), nostro (our), vostro (your, plural), and loro (their). Each one except loro has four forms, for example mio, mia, miei, mie, and each normally follows the definite article: il mio, la mia, i miei, le mie.
Why is it mia madre but la mia mamma?: Singular family nouns such as madre, padre, fratello, and sorella drop the article. Mamma and papà are affectionate words, and standard Italian treats them like altered nouns, so they keep it: la mia mamma, il mio papà. In everyday speech, many people also say mia mamma.
How do you say his and her in Italian?: Both are suo, sua, suoi, or sue. The form agrees with the thing owned, not the owner: il suo libro is his book or her book. Context usually makes the owner clear. If it does not, you can say il libro di lui or il libro di lei.
Does loro take an article?: Yes, always. Loro never changes its ending, and it keeps the article even with singular family nouns: la loro madre, il loro figlio. Loro madre without the article is a mistake.
How do you say a friend of mine in Italian?: Use the indefinite article with the possessive: un mio amico, una mia amica. For more than one, use dei or alcuni: dei miei amici, alcuni miei amici (some friends of mine).