Leeson 3.9: Why no definite article for "mine" (possessive pronoun"?

There is a sentence La casa è mia which is translated as The house is mine. I was under the impression that for mine you need il mio or la mia (in the sentence above).

Are they both correct?

Hi Peter

This might be of help in advance of a reply: https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/italian-easy-learning/what-are-the-possessive-pronouns-in-italian

As mentioned in the article “In Italian, possessive pronouns agree with the noun they’re used instead of.  For example il mio can only be used to refer to a masculine singular noun.”

Ciao

Chris

Thanks Chris,

But in the example in the lesson, we are using “mine” as a possessive pronoun not an adjective.

Thus I thought that we would say (e.g.) 

Mia casa è piccolo (My house is small) but

La casa è la mia.   (The house is mine.)

In the lesson la is omitted.

The website you provided seems to agree with me, so the example in the lesson looks wrong.

Ciao,

Pete

Ciao Peter,

You have raised a valid point about the translation of possessive pronouns in Italian. Let's clarify the usage of possessive pronouns in relation to the sentence "La casa è mia" (The house is mine).

In Italian, possessive pronouns are often used to indicate ownership or possession. They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. In the case of "La casa è mia," "mia" is the possessive pronoun that corresponds to the feminine noun "casa" (house).

You are correct that when using a possessive pronoun as a standalone sentence, it is preceded by the definite article. For example:

• ☞ "La casa è mia." (The house is mine.)
• ☞ "Il libro è tuo." (The book is yours.)
• ☞ "Le chiavi sono sue." (The keys are his/hers.)
•  

However, when using possessive pronouns with an adjective or noun, the definite article is typically omitted. So, your understanding is correct:

• ☞ "Mia casa è piccola." (My house is small.)
• ☞ "La casa è la mia." (The house is mine.)
•  

In the lesson example, the definite article "la" is omitted, which is not a standard practice when using possessive pronouns in combination with adjectives or nouns. So, the example in the lesson may indeed appear incorrect or incomplete.

I appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and we apologize for any confusion it may have caused. Your understanding of possessive pronouns and their usage is accurate.

If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask. Buona giornata! (Have a good day!)