LESSON XIV
THE POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS
97. Observe the sentences
- This is my shield
- This shield is mine
In the first sentence my is a possessive adjective; in the second mine is a possessive pronoun, for it takes the place of a noun, this shield is mine being equivalent to this shield is my shield. Similarly, in Latin the possessives are sometimes adjectives and sometimes pronouns.
98. The possessives my, mine, your, yours, etc. are declined like adjectives of the first and second declensions.
| Singular | |||
| 1st Pers. | meus, mea, meum | my, mine | |
| 2d Pers. | tuus, tua, tuum | your, yours | |
| 3d Pers. | suus, sua, suum | his (own), her (own), its (own) | |
| Plural | |||
| 1st Pers. | noster, nostra, nostrum | our, ours | |
| 2d Pers. | vester, vestra, vestrum | your, yours | |
| 3d Pers. | suus, sua, suum | their (own), theirs | |
Note. Meus has the irregular vocative singular masculine mī, as mī fīlī, O my son.
a. The possessives agree with the name of the thing possessed in gender, number, and case. Compare the English and Latin in
| Sextus is calling his boy | Sextus | suum puerum vocat | |
| Julia is calling her boy | Iūlia |
Observe that suum agrees with puerum, and is unaffected by the gender of Sextus or Julia.
b. When your, yours, refers to one person, use tuus; when to more than one, vester; as,
| Lesbia, your wreaths are pretty | Corōnae tuae, Lesbia, sunt pulchrae | |
| Girls, your wreaths are pretty | Corōnae vestrae, puellae, sunt pulchrae |
