Breakdown of Il suo compagno lavora qui.
qui
here
lavorare
to work
suo
her
il compagno
the companion; partner
Questions & Answers about Il suo compagno lavora qui.
Why is there an article in il suo compagno? In English we just say his companion or her classmate, not the his...
In Italian, possessives like mio, tuo, suo, nostro are often used together with the definite article:
- il mio libro = my book
- la sua macchina = his/her car
- il suo compagno = his/her companion/classmate/partner
So il suo compagno is the normal Italian structure.
A very important exception: with many singular family members, Italian often drops the article:
- mio padre = my father
- sua madre = his/her mother
But compagno is not a family term, so the article stays.
Does suo mean his or her?