Italian A2: Family & possessives · Grammar

Possessives take the article and agree with the thing owned: il mio libro, la mia casa, i miei amici, le mie scarpe. With one family member in the singular the article drops: mia madre, tuo fratello; it comes back in the plural or with an adjective: i miei genitori, il mio fratellino. loro always keeps it: la loro casa.

• la madre — mother
• il padre — father
• il fratello — brother
• la sorella — sister
• il figlio — son
• la figlia — daughter
• genitori — parents
• nonni — grandparents

• Questo è mio fratello. — This is my brother.
• Hai fratelli o sorelle? — Do you have any brothers or sisters?
• Mia madre si chiama Giulia. — My mother’s name is Giulia.
• Domenica andiamo dai nonni. — On Sunday we’re going to our grandparents’.