My, your, his, our
meus, tuus, suus, noster, vester: possessives that agree with the thing owned.
LatinBeginning Latin · Pronouns and adjectivesAbout 3 min: 1 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
- Use meus, tuus, noster and vester
- Make a possessive agree with the thing possessed, not the owner
- Use suus for the subject's own things
Latin Level 1: nouns and cases: lesson 10 of 13
- Beginning Latin · Sounds
- Saying Latin out loud 4 min
- Beginning Latin · How sentences work
- Endings do the work 3 min
- The five cases 3 min
- Beginning Latin · Nouns
- The first declension 3 min
- Adjectives agree with their nouns 3 min
- Beginning Latin · The second declension
- The second declension 4 min
- Predicate nouns and apposition 3 min
- Adjectives in all three genders 3 min
- Nouns in -ius, -er and -ir 4 min
- Beginning Latin · Pronouns and adjectives
- My, your, his, our 3 min
- Beginning Latin · The ablative
- Four ways to say "with" 3 min
- Beginning Latin · Pronouns and adjectives
- The nine irregular adjectives 4 min
- is, ea, id: this, that, he, she, it 3 min
Try first
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Pairs with D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners (Ginn, 1909), Lesson XIV ("The Possessive Adjective Pronouns"), §§ 97–98
What it is
Latin possessives are adjectives, declined like bonus or pulcher:
| one owner | more than one owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | meus, mea, meum (my) | noster, nostra, nostrum (our) |
| 2nd person | tuus, tua, tuum (your) | vester, vestra, vestrum (your) |
| 3rd person, the subject's own | suus, sua, suum (his / her / its / their own) | suus, sua, suum |
The possessive agrees with the thing possessed, not with the owner: Iūlia suum equum cūrat, Julia takes care of her (own) horse. Suum is masculine because equum is.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Julia says to a friend, "my son". Which form does she use?
- The possessive agrees with fīlius, which is masculine
Show answer
meus fīlius. It agrees with the thing possessed: masculine fīlius.
Why it matters
English chooses his or her by the owner; Latin chooses the ending by the thing owned. Getting this right is a quick, reliable win, and it prepares you for agreement everywhere else.
Worked example
- Corōnae tuae, Lesbia, sunt pulchrae. → Your garlands, Lesbia, are beautiful. (one owner: tuae)
- Corōnae vestrae, puellae, sunt pulchrae. → Your garlands, girls, are beautiful. (several owners: vestrae)
- Vir suōs servōs vocat. → The man calls his (own) slaves.
- Mī fīlī! → My son! (meus has the special vocative mī)
Latin often leaves possessives out when the meaning is clear: Mārcus equum cūrat can mean Marcus takes care of his horse.
Common mistake
Choosing tuus or vester by politeness, as in French tu and vous. In Latin it depends only on the number of owners: one owner tuus, more than one vester.
Key terms
- meus, -a, -um
- my
- tuus, -a, -um
- your (one owner)
- suus, -a, -um
- his / her / its / their own (the subject's)
- noster, -tra, -trum
- our
- vester, -tra, -trum
- your (more than one owner)
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 5 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| meus, -a, -um | my |
| tuus, -a, -um | your (one owner) |
| suus, -a, -um | his / her / its / their own (the subject's) |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| vester, -tra, -trum | your (more than one owner) |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"our town" (oppidum, neuter)
- noster is the masculine form
Show answer
nostrum oppidum. Neuter: nostrum.
Talking to two boys: "your horse"
- tuus is for one owner
Show answer
vester equus. More than one owner: vester.
In Sextus suam fīliam vocat, why is it suam?
- The possessive agrees with the thing possessed
Show answer
It agrees with fīliam (feminine accusative). Possessives agree with the thing possessed.
Build the sentence
Build "My son, where is your horse?" (talking to one son), in the order: Mī fīlī, ubi est, then the noun, then the possessive.
Show answer
Mī fīlī, ubi est equus tuus?. Vocative mī fīlī; tuus for one owner, agreeing with equus.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
You are a patient Latin tutor. Use the classical pronunciation only, never the Church one: c is always k, g is always hard, v sounds like w, ae like the ai in aisle, and long vowels are held longer. Speak slowly. Use only these Latin words: meus, tuus, suus, noster, vester, fīlius, ager, puella. Say an English phrase like 'my son', 'our field' or 'your (plural) daughter', and I will say it in Latin with the right possessive. Do 8 phrases. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again, then tell me one thing to improve. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. If I need a name or a town, I will make one up. Speak English except for the Latin itself.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. This course teaches the classical pronunciation (see lesson 1); AI voices may mix it with the Church (Italian-style) one, so ask for classical and check against lesson 1. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
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In short
- meus, tuus, suus, noster, vester are declined like adjectives.
- They agree with the thing possessed in gender, number and case.
- tuus for one owner, vester for more than one.
- suus refers back to the subject: his / her / their own.
- The vocative of meus is mī: mī fīlī.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
"my daughters" (nominative)?
Show answer
meae fīliae.
Which word means "your" when speaking to a whole class?
Show answer
vester.
Translate Puella suam corōnam portat.
Show answer
The girl carries her (own) garland.
Further reading
- D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners, Lesson XIV, §§ 97–98. Public domain; Project Gutenberg.
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