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Ponti: Italiano terzo millennio
Elissa Tognozzi, UCLA
Giuseppe Cavatorta, Dartmouth College
Grammar Review
Capitolo 8: Tra arte e... impegno sociale

Ripasso di grammatica elementare

Aggettivi possessivi

A. Like other Italian adjectives, possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. A possessive adjective is usually preceded by a definite article. The forms of the possessive adjective are:

  Singular Plural
my il mio la mia i miei le mie
your, singular (tu) il tuo la tua i tuoi le tue
his / her il suo la sua i suoi le sue
our il nostro la nostra i nostri le nostre
your, plural (voi) il vostro la vostra i vostri le vostre
their il loro la loro i loro le loro

B. The gender of a possessive adjective agrees with that of the noun it modifies, not with the gender of the possessor. For example:
Laura vuole molto bene ai suoi animali domestici.          
Laura loves her pets.

Giuseppe pubblicizza la sua beneficienza preferita.        
Giuseppe promotes his favorite charity.

C. The possessive adjective loro does not change form. Only the article that accompanies it changes.
Marco e Giordano riciclano i loro rifiuti.
Marco and Giordano recycle their garbage.

D. Possessive adjectives and members of the family

1. When a possessive adjective is used with a single, unmodified term for a family member, the definite article is omitted.
Mio fratello ha nove anni.                                 
My brother is nine years old.

Nostra madre lavora tutto il giorno.                  
Our mother works all day.

Tua zia si chiama Lavinia?                                
Is your aunt named Lavinia?

2. Loro, however, is always preceded by a definite article, even with terms for family members.
La loro sorella sa disegnare molto bene.           
Their sister knows how to draw very well.

3. When the possessive adjective is used with the nouns mamma (mother) and papā (father), the definite article is always used.
La vostra mamma si offre sempre volontaria. 
Your mother always volunteers.

4. When a possessive adjective is used with a plural or modified term for a family member, the definite article is always used.
I tuoi fratelli aiutano sempre i senzatetto?                      
Do your brothers still help the homeless?

Le mie nonne vivono ancora a casa loro.
My grandmothers still live in their homes.

Esercizio 1: Aggettivi possessivi
Esercizio 2: Aggettivi possessivi

Ripasso di Capitolo 8

Esercizio 1: Congiuntivo presente e passato
Esercizio 2: Imperfetto e trapassato del congiuntivo
Esercizio 3: Periodo ipotetico
Esercizio 4: Ripasso del congiuntivo



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