Editing Italian grammar (section)

===Possessive adjectives===
With the exception of 3rd person plural ''loro'' ('their'), possessive adjectives, like articles, must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify. Hence, ''mio zio'' ('my uncle'), but ''mia zia'' ('my aunt'). So depending on what is being modified, the possessive adjectives are:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
!rowspan=2|Person
!colspan=2|Masculine
!colspan=2|Feminine
|-
!Singular
!Plural
!Singular
!Plural
|-
|1st sing. || mio || miei || mia || mie
|-
|2nd sing. || tuo || tuoi || tua || tue
|-
|3rd sing. || suo || suoi ||sua || sue
|-
|1st pl. || nostro || nostri ||nostra ||nostre
|-
|2nd pl. || vostro || vostri || vostra || vostre
|-
|3rd pl. || colspan="4"| loro
|}

In most cases the possessive adjective is used with an article, usually the [[definite article]]:

{|
|-
|''Ho perso '''la mia''' penna.'' || ("I have lost my pen.")
|-
|''Mi piace '''il mio''' lavoro.'' || ("I like my job.")
|-
|''Hanno rubato '''la mia''' automobile!'' || ("They have stolen my car!")
|}

And sometimes with the [[indefinite article]]:

{|
|-
|'''''Un mio''' amico mi ha detto che...'' || ("A friend of mine told me that...")
|-
|''Ho visto '''una sua''' foto.'' || ("I have seen a photograph of him/her.")
|-
|''Luca è '''un mio''' amico.'' || ("Luke is a friend of mine.")
|}

The only exception is when the possessive refers to an individual family member (unless the family member is described or characterised in some way):

{|
|-
|''Laura è '''mia''' sorella'' || ("Laura is my sister.")
|-
|''Ieri ho visto '''mia''' sorella Diana'' || ("I saw my sister Diana yesterday.")
|-
|''Questa penna è di '''mia''' zia.'' || ("This pen is my aunt's.")
|}

''Mamma'' and ''papà'' (or ''babbo'', in central Italy; 'mother' and 'father'), however, are usually used with the article.

For emphasis, however, possessive adjectives are sometimes placed after the noun. This is usually after words such as ''colpa'' ('fault', 'sin'); ''casa'' ('house', 'home'); ''merito'' ('merit'); ''piacere'' ('pleasure'); or in [[vocative expression]]s.

{|
|-
|''È colpa '''sua'''.'' || ("It is his/her fault.")
|-
|''Oh dio '''mio'''!'' || ("Oh, my god!")
|-
|''Arrivederci, amico '''mio'''!'' || ("Goodbye, my friend!")
|-
|''Vorresti andare a casa '''mia'''?'' || ("Would you like to come over to my house?")
|}

If the antecedent of a third person possessive (being used as an object) is the subject of the sentence, ''proprio'' can be used instead of ''suo'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.accademiadellacrusca.it/faq/faq_risp.php?id=7689&ctg_id=45 |title=Accademia della Crusca, ''Impiego di Proprio e Suo''|access-date=2009-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720031553/http://www.accademiadellacrusca.it/faq/faq_risp.php?id=7689&ctg_id=45 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> although the usage of ''proprio'' is declining in spoken language:{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}

{|
|-
|''Marco e Maria hanno discusso di filosofia. Marco ha scelto il '''proprio''' punto di vista.'' || ("Marco and Maria discussed philosophy. Marco took '''his own''' point of view.")
|-
|''Marco e Maria hanno discusso di filosofia. Marco ha scelto il '''suo''' punto di vista.'' || ("Marco and Maria discussed philosophy. Marco took '''his/her''' point of view.")
|}

The first sentence is unambiguous and states that Marco took his own point of view, whereas the second sentence is ambiguous because it may mean that Marco took either his own or Maria's point of view.