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Modern Descendants of Latin

369

(her father) The combinations a mm, a lui> etc , can replace le mien
la sienne^ etc 3 as ni c'est a moi (it is mine), c'est a lui (it is his)

Both in Italian and Portuguese the possessive adjective has the same
form as the possessive pronoun When used attributively, the possessive
takes the definite article, e g Italian il mio bracczo (my arm); Portuguese
o men brago The definite article is omitted after essere or ser3 meaning belong
to, e g Italian la casa e mia (the house is mine)5 Portuguese a casa e rmnha
The Spanish possessive adjective has two forms3 a shorter which pre-
faces the noun without the article, e g mi casa, and a more emphatic
one which is put after the noun with the article^ e g la casa mia The
latter also acts as pronoun, and in this capacity takes the article as in
French^ ella ohido el suyo> i e saco (she forgot heisa i e bag)

ROMANCE POSSESSIVES


	FRENCH
	PORTUGUESE
	SPANISH
	ITALIAN

(a) Adjectives
	
	
	
	

MY
	m0?z(m ) ma(f )
	meus miriha
	»M(S)
	wiOj etc


	mes(pl )
	meuss mirihas
	
	

THY
	ton> etc,
	teuj tva>
	m(s)
	?wo, etc


	
	teus> tuas
	
	

HIS,, HER, ITS
	son, etc
	seu, etc
	su(s)
	suo, etc


	
	(hke leu}
	
	

OUR
	notre, nos (pi )
	nosso, etc
	nuestro, etc
	nosrro, etc

YOUR
	votre> vos (pi )
	vossOy etc
	vuestro, etc
	Castro, etc

THEIR
	leur(s)
	seu> etc
	sz^(s)
	/^ro

(fc) Pronouns
	
	
	
	

MIKE
	fa^ne
	as above
	wz/Oa etc
	as above


	l^rm^*
	preceded
	
	preceded


	les miennes
	by the definite
	
	by the definite

THINE
	le tien^ etc
	article
	rwjy^ etc
	article

HIS, HERS, ITS
	le sien^ etc
	
	suyos etc
	

OURS
	le or la notre
	
	
	


	les notres
	
	(as above)
	

YOURS
	le votre, etc
	
	
	

THEIRS
	le^ lay les
 leur(s)
	
	suyo(s)
	

POLITE ADDRESS
One of the booby-traps of the Romance languages is choice of pro-
nouns (and possessives) appropriate to intimate or formal address
Roman citizens addressed one another as tu The thou-foxm of French,