italiano · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Family
Introduce relatives with possessives and the special singular-family article rule.
Understand the choice
Family vocabulary reveals an Italian exception. Possessives normally take an article, but a singular close relative such as madre, padre, sorella, or fratello often stands without it.
Core rule: Singular unmodified close-family nouns usually omit the definite article after a possessive: mia sorella; plurals keep it: i miei genitori.
Notice it in context
Mia sorella si chiama Giulia e mio fratello si chiama Luca.
My sister is called Giulia and my brother is called Luca.
Mia and mio agree with the relative nouns, and both clauses use reflexive si chiama.
I miei genitori abitano vicino ai nonni.
My parents live near the grandparents.
Plural possessive i miei keeps the article; ai is a + i.
La mia sorella maggiore studia a Milano.
My older sister studies in Milan.
A modified family noun commonly restores the article la.
What to remember
- Mamma and papà are familiar alternatives to madre and padre.
- Figlio can mean son; child without specifying gender may be bambino/a or figlio/a by context.
Common trap: Do not remove the article from plural relatives: i miei fratelli.