How to use the Italian possessives ‘proprio’ and ‘altrui’?
The Italian words proprio and altrui are both specialized possessive adjectives, meaning that they each describe a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and express something about who owns or has that noun.
Proprio is the equivalent of the English “his/her/its/their own.”
Altrui means “other people’s.” It is somewhat special because, unlike all the other possessives in Italian, it only has one form: it remains altrui in all circumstances.
Need a refresher on Italian possessive adjectives and pronouns? Look no further and click the link!
Table of Contents
When to use ‘proprio’ in Italian
You can use proprio(his/her/their own) before an Italian noun when the following requirements are met:
The owner is lui(he/it), lei(she/it), or loro(they) or is a noun that you would replace with one of these pronouns.
The owner is the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the sentence.
For example:
Martina ha portato la propria tenda.
Martina brought her own camping tent.
Here we can use propro because:
Martina is a noun that you would replace with lei
Martina is the subject of the sentence
Martina is both the one who owns la tenda(camping tent) and the subject of the sentence. She brought the tent she owns, hence, the tent is definitely her own or la propria. 😁
Notice, though, that the form of the word proprio is a little different in the example above! The form of proprio changes depending on the genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the owned noun. Use the table below to see which form to use and don’t forget the articleNo definition set for articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.!
Gender and Number of the owned noun | proprio(his/her/their own) |
masculine singular | il proprio |
masculine plural | i propri |
feminine singular | la propria |
feminine plural | le proprie |
Let’s look at another example. What form of proprio would you use to say “Laura and Francesco can’t find their luggage?”
That’s right, it’s i propri, because bagagli(luggage) is masculine and plural:
Laura e Francesco non trovano i propri bagagli.
Laura and Francesco can’t find their luggage.
Here we can use propro because:
Laura e Francesco is a noun that you would replace with loro
Laura e Francesco are the subject(s) of the sentence
Other uses of ‘proprio’
Proprio can be used in a few other specialized cases:
Like the English “one’s own,” or “your own,” proprio is also used in impersonal expressionsNo definition set for impersonal expressionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Si dovrebbe dare sempre il proprio meglio.
One should always give their best. / You should always do your best.
Bisogna difendere i propri valori.
One should defend one’s own values. / You should always defend your own values.
È importante ascoltare la propria coscienza.
It is important to listen to one’s own conscience.
And in phrases in which the subject — in this case the person who owns something — is left a bit vague or indeterminate.
Ognuno ha le proprie opinioni.
Everyone has their own opinions.
Tutti devono portare i propri documenti.
Everyone needs to bring their own documents.
Ognuno è seduto al proprio posto.
Everyone is sitting in their own place.
When can you not use ‘proprio’ in Italian?
Do not use proprio if...
the owner is not the subject of the sentence OR
if you want to say “my own,” “our own,” or “your own.”
In these cases, you’ll use the regular Italian possessives (e.g. mio, tuo, suo...), instead. For example:
(Io) ho notato la sua giacca nuova.
I noticed his/her new jacket.
→ The subject (io) does not own the jacket, so we cannot use proprio, and we use the possessive adjective la sua instead. If we used proprio it would be like saying “I noticed his own new jacket.” Sort of strange, right?(Io) ho notato la mia giacca.
I noticed my (own) jacket.
→ Here, the subject (io) is the possessor but it’s first person, so it doesn’t work with proprio. Notice, though, that in Italian there is no difference between saying “I noticed my jacket” and “I noticed my own jacket.”
How to use ‘altrui’ in Italian?
The possessive altrui means “other people’s.” Altrui is mostly used in formal circumstances, so you may encounter altrui, for instance, in laws, regulations, announcements of any kind, or even in written, polished Italian.
È vietato parcheggiare in proprietà altrui.
It is forbidden to park cars on the property of others.
Here are a few important differences between altrui and other possessives in Italian:
Altrui follows the noun it describes rather than coming before it
Altrui does not change in gender and number
Non mi importano i giudizi altrui.
I don't care about other people’s judgments.
As you can see, altrui doesn’t change its form even though the possessed noun i giudizi is plural!
Altrui has the same meaning as the Italian phrase di altri(of others). You’re more likely to see degli altri(lit. of the others) used in less formal situations. Or you might just see another possessive adjective used instead.
To sum up
Italian uses the possessives proprio with lui/lei and loro to mean “his/her/their own.” Remember that proprio changes depending on the gender and number of what it’s owned. Altrui, on the other hand, does not change and it is used to mean “other people’s.”
