{"id":59841,"date":"2026-05-13T05:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=59841"},"modified":"2026-05-13T06:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:23:17","slug":"italian-possession-di","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-possession-di\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Possession with Di: How to Say &#8216;Marco&#8217;s Car&#8217; Without an Apostrophe (A1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> English uses apostrophe-s for possession (&#8220;Marco&#8217;s car&#8221;, &#8220;the teacher&#8217;s book&#8221;). Italian doesn&#8217;t have that. <strong>Italian possession di<\/strong> is the construction Italian reaches for instead: noun + the preposition <em>di<\/em> + the possessor. <em>La macchina di Marco<\/em>, <em>il libro della maestra<\/em>. It&#8217;s the most common possessive structure in the language, and once you internalise the pattern it unlocks half of everyday Italian. This guide covers the form, the variations with definite articles (<em>del, della, dello, dei, delle<\/em>), how to ask &#8220;whose?&#8221; (<em>di chi?<\/em>), and the small twists English speakers trip on at A1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Picture the scene. You&#8217;re at a small bookshop in Padova, looking for a paperback your friend recommended. The shopkeeper asks, &#8220;Whose book is it?&#8221;, meaning who wrote it? You want to say &#8220;It&#8217;s Calvino&#8217;s&#8221;, but Italian doesn&#8217;t let you slap an apostrophe-s onto Calvino&#8217;s name. So you say <em>\u00c8 di Calvino<\/em>. Three words, no apostrophe, perfectly correct. The same little preposition <em>di<\/em> does the work of English&#8217;s apostrophe-s in every shop, caf\u00e9, classroom, and kitchen across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-pdi\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-pdi-t gb-headline-text\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one-liner\">The one-liner rule for italian possession di<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#basic\">The basic pattern: noun + di + possessor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#articulated\">When di meets the article: del, della, dello, dei, delle<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#di-chi\">Di chi? How to ask &#8220;whose?&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#vs-possessive\">Italian possession di vs possessive adjective (mio, tuo, suo)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#five-traps\">Five traps for English speakers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue at the lost-and-found in Padova<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-oneliner-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"one-liner\">The one-liner rule for italian possession di<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To say &#8220;X&#8217;s Y&#8221; in Italian, flip the order and use <em>di<\/em>: &#8220;Y di X&#8221;. The thing possessed goes first, the possessor comes second, and the preposition <em>di<\/em> sits between them. If the possessor needs a definite article (<em>the teacher<\/em>, <em>the students<\/em>), <em>di<\/em> fuses with the article into a single word: <em>del, della, dello, dei, delle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-basic-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"basic\">The basic pattern: noun + di + possessor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the pattern you&#8217;ll meet on day one of learning Italian, and you&#8217;ll keep meeting it for the rest of your Italian life. It&#8217;s the construction Italians use when introducing relatives (&#8220;my sister&#8217;s husband&#8221;), pointing at objects in a room (&#8220;Pietro&#8217;s coat&#8221;), discussing cities and their landmarks (&#8220;Padova&#8217;s main square&#8221;), and ordering at a bakery (&#8220;the loaf of bread&#8221;). The same shape, over and over: thing first, <em>di<\/em> in the middle, owner at the end. Get the order right and half the work is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplest case of italian possession di is &#8220;X&#8217;s Y&#8221; where X is a proper name (a person, a city, a brand). Italian writes the thing possessed first, then <em>di<\/em>, then the name.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>la macchina di Caterina\n<br \/><em>Caterina&#8217;s car<\/em><\/li>\n<li>il libro di Pietro\n<br \/><em>Pietro&#8217;s book<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la sorella di Federica\n<br \/><em>Federica&#8217;s sister<\/em><\/li>\n<li>il cane di Tommaso\n<br \/><em>Tommaso&#8217;s dog<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la stazione di Padova\n<br \/><em>Padova&#8217;s station<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la moglie di mio fratello\n<br \/><em>my brother&#8217;s wife<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The structure is always the same: thing + <em>di<\/em> + owner. English speakers often want to flip back to the English order and produce <em>Caterina di la macchina<\/em>, but that&#8217;s wrong. The thing possessed always comes first in Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-pdi-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-task 1:<\/strong> Translate into Italian using <em>di<\/em> + name.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Federica&#8217;s bicycle<\/li>\n<li>Marco&#8217;s mother<\/li>\n<li>Alessia&#8217;s umbrella<\/li>\n<li>Verona&#8217;s cathedral<\/li>\n<li>my friend&#8217;s house<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>la bicicletta di Federica<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>la madre di Marco<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>l&#8217;ombrello di Alessia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>la cattedrale di Verona<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>la casa del mio amico<\/strong> (di + il fuses into del, see next section)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-articulated-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"articulated\">When di meets the article: del, della, dello, dei, delle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So far so good with proper names. The problem starts the first time you try to say &#8220;the teacher&#8217;s book&#8221; and find yourself stuck. <em>Il libro di il professore<\/em> doesn&#8217;t sound right, and your Italian teacher will quickly tell you it&#8217;s wrong. The reason is one of those small features that makes Italian Italian: certain prepositions, <em>di<\/em> included, refuse to sit next to a definite article. They fuse with it into a single word. The result is the family of <em>preposizioni articolate<\/em> (combined prepositions) that every learner has to memorise in the first weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian possession di works differently when the possessor is preceded by a definite article (&#8220;the teacher&#8221;, &#8220;the students&#8221;, &#8220;the museum&#8221;). Italian fuses <em>di<\/em> with the article into a single combined form. These combined forms are called preposizioni articolate (articulated prepositions).<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>di + article<\/th><th>combined form<\/th><th>example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>di + il<\/td><td>del<\/td><td>il libro del professore<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + lo<\/td><td>dello<\/td><td>il quaderno dello studente<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + l&#8217;<\/td><td>dell&#8217;<\/td><td>l&#8217;auto dell&#8217;amica<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + la<\/td><td>della<\/td><td>la borsa della maestra<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + i<\/td><td>dei<\/td><td>la classe dei bambini<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + gli<\/td><td>degli<\/td><td>le opinioni degli studenti<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>di + le<\/td><td>delle<\/td><td>la fermata delle ragazze<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>la borsa della maestra\n<br \/><em>the teacher&#8217;s bag (female teacher)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>il libro del professore\n<br \/><em>the professor&#8217;s book<\/em><\/li>\n<li>il quaderno dello studente\n<br \/><em>the student&#8217;s notebook<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la classe dei bambini\n<br \/><em>the children&#8217;s class<\/em><\/li>\n<li>le opinioni degli studenti\n<br \/><em>the students&#8217; opinions<\/em><\/li>\n<li>l&#8217;orario delle lezioni\n<br \/><em>the lessons&#8217; timetable<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la sala d&#8217;attesa dell&#8217;ospedale\n<br \/><em>the hospital&#8217;s waiting room<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The choice between <em>del, dello, dell&#8217;, della, dei, degli, delle<\/em> follows exactly the same rules as the definite article. If the possessor would take <em>il<\/em>, you write <em>del<\/em>; if it would take <em>la<\/em>, you write <em>della<\/em>; and so on. Once you&#8217;ve mastered the definite article forms, the articulated <em>di<\/em> follows automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A small piece of advice from people who teach Italian at A1: don&#8217;t try to memorise the table in the abstract. Instead, learn five or six concrete examples that you&#8217;ll actually use (&#8220;la macchina del professore&#8221;, &#8220;i compiti dei bambini&#8221;, &#8220;l&#8217;orario delle lezioni&#8221;), and let the pattern come out by itself. The grammar table is a useful reference when you need to check, but the brain absorbs articulated prepositions much better from real phrases. Italian children, after all, don&#8217;t learn <em>del<\/em> as a rule: they hear it in <em>il libro del nonno<\/em> a thousand times before they know what a preposition is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-dichi-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"di-chi\">Di chi? How to ask &#8220;whose?&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve ever lost something in Italy (an umbrella on a train, a jacket at a restaurant, a phone at a friend&#8217;s house), you&#8217;ll have heard the question at least twice. Someone walks in holding the object, lifts it up, and asks: <em>Di chi \u00e8 questo?<\/em>. The phrase is unmistakable. To ask &#8220;whose?&#8221; in Italian, you literally ask &#8220;of whom?&#8221;. The form is <em>di chi<\/em>, placed at the beginning of the question.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Di chi \u00e8 questa borsa?\n<br \/><em>Whose bag is this?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Di chi sono questi libri?\n<br \/><em>Whose books are these?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Di chi \u00e8 la macchina parcheggiata davanti al cancello?\n<br \/><em>Whose car is parked in front of the gate?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Di chi \u00e8 quel cane bianco?\n<br \/><em>Whose is that white dog?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The verb <em>essere<\/em> agrees with the thing in question: <em>\u00e8<\/em> for singular (<em>\u00e8 questa borsa<\/em>), <em>sono<\/em> for plural (<em>sono questi libri<\/em>). The answer typically uses the same possessive structure: <em>\u00e8 di Caterina, sono di Pietro, \u00e8 dell&#8217;insegnante<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-vs-possessive-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"vs-possessive\">Italian possession di vs possessive adjective (mio, tuo, suo)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>di<\/em> + noun construction is one of two main ways Italian expresses possession. The other is the possessive adjective family (<em>mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro<\/em>), used when the possessor is a pronoun like &#8220;my, your, his, her, our, their&#8221;. The two patterns split the work cleanly.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>la macchina di Pietro \/ la sua macchina\n<br \/><em>Pietro&#8217;s car \/ his car<\/em><\/li>\n<li>la casa di Federica \/ la sua casa\n<br \/><em>Federica&#8217;s house \/ her house<\/em><\/li>\n<li>i libri degli studenti \/ i loro libri\n<br \/><em>the students&#8217; books \/ their books<\/em><\/li>\n<li>l&#8217;opinione di Caterina \/ la sua opinione\n<br \/><em>Caterina&#8217;s opinion \/ her opinion<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Use <em>di<\/em> when the possessor is named explicitly (a person, a thing, a noun). Use the possessive adjective when you&#8217;d use &#8220;my, your, his&#8221; in English. Both constructions can sit side by side in the same sentence, and a paragraph of natural Italian usually mixes them: <em>Caterina \u00e8 arrivata con sua sorella nella macchina di suo padre<\/em> (&#8220;Caterina arrived with her sister in her father&#8217;s car&#8221;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>An observation worth making: Italian doesn&#8217;t have a strong urge to specify possession the way English does. Italians often skip the possessive when context makes the owner obvious. <em>Ho perso le chiavi<\/em> (&#8220;I lost my keys&#8221;) is the natural Italian, not <em>ho perso le mie chiavi<\/em>. The same logic applies with body parts, family members, clothes, anything that clearly belongs to the speaker. When the owner is genuinely ambiguous or needs emphasis, then <em>di<\/em> or the possessive adjective steps in. This Italian habit of leaving possession implicit is one of the first things to absorb if you want your Italian to stop sounding translated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-traps-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"five-traps\">Five traps for English speakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-1\">Trap 1: Trying to use an apostrophe-s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has no apostrophe-s construction. <em>Caterina&#8217;s car<\/em> cannot be rendered as <em>Caterina&#8217;s macchina<\/em> or <em>Caterina macchina<\/em>. The only option is <em>la macchina di Caterina<\/em>. Same for all other Italian possessives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-2\">Trap 2: Forgetting to fuse di with the article<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the possessor takes a definite article, you cannot write <em>di il, di la, di gli<\/em>. Italian forces the fusion into <em>del, della, degli<\/em>. <em>Il libro di il professore<\/em> is wrong; the correct form is <em>il libro del professore<\/em>. Memorise the seven combined forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-3\">Trap 3: Flipping the order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>English puts the possessor first (&#8220;Caterina&#8217;s car&#8221;); Italian puts the thing first (<em>la macchina di Caterina<\/em>). It is tempting to keep the English order and write <em>Caterina di la macchina<\/em>. It&#8217;s wrong twice over: the order is reversed and the article isn&#8217;t fused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-4\">Trap 4: Translating &#8220;whose&#8221; with che instead of di chi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>English &#8220;whose&#8221; looks like a single word, so beginners reach for <em>che<\/em> (the all-purpose relative). Italian wants <em>di chi<\/em> (&#8220;of whom&#8221;). <em>Di chi \u00e8 questa borsa?<\/em>, not <em>Che \u00e8 questa borsa?<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-5\">Trap 5: Mixing di with possessive adjectives in one phrase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>La macchina di la sua<\/em> is wrong; the construction is either <em>la sua macchina<\/em> (possessive adjective) or <em>la macchina di lei<\/em> (if you need to disambiguate). Don&#8217;t stack the two patterns on top of each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-cheat-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian possession di at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>English<\/th><th>Italian<\/th><th>Pattern<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Caterina&#8217;s car<\/td><td>la macchina di Caterina<\/td><td>noun + di + name<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>the teacher&#8217;s book<\/td><td>il libro del professore<\/td><td>noun + del\/della (di + article)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>the students&#8217; opinions<\/td><td>le opinioni degli studenti<\/td><td>noun + degli (di + gli)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>my brother&#8217;s wife<\/td><td>la moglie di mio fratello<\/td><td>noun + di + possessive + noun<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Whose bag is this?<\/td><td>Di chi \u00e8 questa borsa?<\/td><td>di chi + essere + thing<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>It&#8217;s Pietro&#8217;s.<\/td><td>\u00c8 di Pietro.<\/td><td>essere + di + name<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>my book<\/td><td>il mio libro<\/td><td>possessive adjective + noun (not di)<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-dialogue-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue at the lost-and-found in Padova<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Caterina has lost her umbrella at the train station. At the lost-and-found desk, the clerk tries to help. Translation in italics under each Italian line.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-pdi\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Buongiorno. Ho perso il mio ombrello sul treno delle dodici.<br \/><em>Good morning. I lost my umbrella on the twelve o&#8217;clock train.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> Di che colore era?<br \/><em>What colour was it?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Blu scuro. Con il manico di legno.<br \/><em>Dark blue. With a wooden handle.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> Vediamo. Abbiamo due ombrelli blu. Questo \u00e8 di una signora che \u00e8 venuta stamattina.<br \/><em>Let&#8217;s see. We have two blue umbrellas. This one belongs to a lady who came this morning.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> E l&#8217;altro?<br \/><em>And the other one?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> Non lo so di chi \u00e8. Lo guardi.<br \/><em>I don&#8217;t know whose it is. Take a look.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> S\u00ec, \u00e8 il mio. C&#8217;\u00e8 scritto il mio nome sul manico.<br \/><em>Yes, it&#8217;s mine. There&#8217;s my name written on the handle.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> Bene. Mi serve un documento.<br \/><em>Good. I need an ID.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Ho la carta d&#8217;identit\u00e0. La macchina della patente \u00e8 nell&#8217;auto di mio marito.<br \/><em>I have my ID card. My driver&#8217;s licence photo is in my husband&#8217;s car.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> La carta d&#8217;identit\u00e0 va benissimo. Mi firmi qui.<br \/><em>The ID card is perfect. Sign here please.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Ecco. Grazie mille.<br \/><em>Here you go. Thank you very much.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb <strong>Impiegato:<\/strong> Prego. Buona giornata.<br \/><em>You&#8217;re welcome. Have a good day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>il treno delle dodici<\/strong>: time expressed with <em>delle<\/em> (di + le, with le ore implied). Italian time always uses articulated <em>di<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>il manico di legno<\/strong>: <em>di<\/em> here is not possession but material (&#8220;made of&#8221;). Same preposition, different function. Context tells you which.<\/li>\n<li><strong>di una signora<\/strong>: <em>di<\/em> + indefinite article (<em>una<\/em>) does not fuse. Only definite articles fuse with <em>di<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Di chi \u00e8 \/ non lo so di chi \u00e8<\/strong>: the standard A1 &#8220;whose&#8221; pattern, used twice in the exchange.<\/li>\n<li><strong>la carta d&#8217;identit\u00e0<\/strong>: <em>di<\/em> elides to <em>d&#8217;<\/em> before a vowel. Standard Italian spelling.<\/li>\n<li><strong>nell&#8217;auto di mio marito<\/strong>: classic <em>di<\/em> + name plus possessive (<em>mio<\/em>). Mixed possessive structures are common in everyday Italian.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-mini-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-pdi-final\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Translate each English sentence into Italian, using <em>di<\/em> or the articulated form correctly.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is Federica&#8217;s bicycle.<\/li>\n<li>The teacher&#8217;s book is on the desk.<\/li>\n<li>Whose are these keys?<\/li>\n<li>The children&#8217;s school opens at eight.<\/li>\n<li>My sister&#8217;s husband works in Trieste.<\/li>\n<li>That&#8217;s Pietro&#8217;s grandmother.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Questa \u00e8 la bicicletta <strong>di Federica<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Il libro <strong>del<\/strong> professore \u00e8 sulla scrivania.<\/em> (di + il)<\/p>\n<p>3. <em><strong>Di chi<\/strong> sono queste chiavi?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>4. <em>La scuola <strong>dei<\/strong> bambini apre alle otto.<\/em> (di + i)<\/p>\n<p>5. <em>Il marito <strong>di<\/strong> mia sorella lavora a Trieste.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>6. <em>Quella \u00e8 la nonna <strong>di Pietro<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-quiz-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-faq-pdi gb-headline-text\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions about italian possession di<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These seven questions cover the most common A1 stumbling blocks with <em>di<\/em>. The Treccani entry on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/enciclopedia\/di_(La-grammatica-italiana)\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">di<\/a> covers the full grammar of the preposition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why doesn&#8217;t Italian use an apostrophe for possession?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because Italian inherited a different system from Latin. English uses the Saxon genitive (Caterina&#8217;s car), which comes from Old English. Italian, like all Romance languages, expresses possession with the preposition di (la macchina di Caterina). The thing possessed comes first, the preposition di sits in the middle, and the possessor comes last. There is no apostrophe-s in Italian. Writing Caterina&#8217;s macchina or Caterina macchina is wrong: the only correct form is la macchina di Caterina.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">When do I use del, della, dello, dei, degli, delle instead of plain di?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Whenever the possessor takes a definite article (il, lo, la, i, gli, le), Italian fuses the preposition di with the article into a single combined form. Di + il = del, di + lo = dello, di + la = della, di + l&#8217; = dell&#8217;, di + i = dei, di + gli = degli, di + le = delle. So il libro del professore (the teacher&#8217;s book), il quaderno dello studente (the student&#8217;s notebook), la borsa della maestra (the teacher&#8217;s bag, female). When the possessor is a proper name (Caterina, Pietro, Verona), no article is needed and you use plain di: la macchina di Caterina.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I ask whose in Italian?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>With the construction di chi, literally of whom. Di chi \u00e8 questa borsa? means Whose bag is this?. Di chi sono questi libri? means Whose books are these?. The verb essere agrees with the thing in question: \u00e8 for singular, sono for plural. The answer follows the same pattern: \u00c8 di Caterina (It&#8217;s Caterina&#8217;s), Sono di Pietro (They&#8217;re Pietro&#8217;s), \u00c8 dell&#8217;insegnante (It&#8217;s the teacher&#8217;s).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What&#8217;s the difference between la macchina di Pietro and la sua macchina?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both translate Pietro&#8217;s car, but the two constructions specify the possessor differently. La macchina di Pietro names Pietro explicitly. La sua macchina uses the possessive adjective sua (his or her), which is genderless in the third person singular and only tells you the possessor is one person, but not who. Italians often use di + name when introducing a possessor, then switch to the possessive adjective in subsequent mentions: Caterina \u00e8 arrivata con la macchina di suo padre. Sua sorella era gi\u00e0 l\u00ec.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I use di for things that aren&#8217;t possession?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. The preposition di has many other functions: material (un anello di oro, a gold ring), origin (Sono di Padova, I&#8217;m from Padova), topic (un libro di storia, a history book), specification (la fermata di Trieste, the Trieste stop), and several more. Context tells you which function di is performing. The possessive function (la macchina di Caterina) is just one of many. Treccani lists over a dozen functions of di in modern Italian.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does di always elide to d&#8217; before a vowel?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Only sometimes. Standard modern Italian elides di to d&#8217; mainly in fixed expressions: d&#8217;oro, d&#8217;argento, d&#8217;estate, d&#8217;inverno, d&#8217;accordo, d&#8217;altronde. In ordinary possessive constructions like di Alessia or di Andrea, both spellings are accepted: la macchina di Alessia and la macchina d&#8217;Alessia are both correct. The elision is more common in older writing and in poetic style; modern Italian leans toward keeping the di separate. Choose your style and stay consistent within the same text.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-pdi-q7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I say someone&#8217;s something with multiple possessors?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>You stack di clauses, just as English stacks apostrophe-s. La macchina del padre di mio amico means My friend&#8217;s father&#8217;s car: the structure is la macchina (the car) + di + il padre (the father) + di + mio amico (my friend). Italian allows multiple levels of possessor without difficulty, though long chains can become unwieldy. Three levels of di start sounding heavy; native speakers usually break the chain with a different construction at that point.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-sono-io-its-me\/\">Italian Sono Io: Why &#8216;It&#8217;s Me&#8217; in Italian Is Literally &#8216;I Am I&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ce-ci-vuole\/\">Italian C&#8217;\u00e8, Ci Vuole, Ce L&#8217;ho: The Many Faces of Italian Ci<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-perche-why-because\/\">Perch\u00e9 in Italian: Why It Means Both &#8216;Why&#8217; and &#8216;Because&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-articles-with-countries\/\">Italian Articles with Countries, Regions and Islands<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. English uses apostrophe-s for possession (&#8220;Marco&#8217;s car&#8221;, &#8220;the teacher&#8217;s book&#8221;). Italian doesn&#8217;t have that. Italian possession di is the construction Italian reaches for instead: noun + the preposition di + the possessor. La macchina di Marco, il libro della maestra. It&#8217;s the most common possessive structure in the language, and once you &#8230; <a title=\"Italian Possession with Di: How to Say &#8216;Marco&#8217;s Car&#8217; Without an Apostrophe (A1)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-possession-di\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian Possession with Di: How to Say &#8216;Marco&#8217;s Car&#8217; Without an Apostrophe (A1)\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1863,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a1","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59841"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59846,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59841\/revisions\/59846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}