ELONIO

Indefinite possessive adjective (altrui)

To say "other people's" or "belonging to others," Italian uses the indefinite possessive adjective altrui.

Unlike standard possessive adjectives (mio, tuo, etc.), altrui follows two strict rules:

  • It is completely invariable — it never changes form to match the gender or number of the noun.
  • It is placed after the noun it modifies, never before it.
of others / other people's
altrui
We must respect other people's property.
Dobbiamo rispettare la proprietà altrui.

Notice how altrui stays exactly the same whether it describes a feminine singular noun like la proprietà or a masculine plural noun like gli errori:

I never judge other people's mistakes.
Non giudico mai gli errori altrui.

Crossing Boundaries

You will frequently see altrui used when discussing personal space, respect, and intrusive behavior. In these contexts, it often pairs with verbs describing nosiness, such as curiosare (to snoop) and impicciarsi (to meddle).

It is bad to snoop into other people's lives.
È brutto curiosare nella vita altrui.
Why do you always meddle in other people's problems?
Perché ti impicci sempre dei problemi altrui?
It is severely forbidden to read others' mail.
È severamente vietato leggere la corrispondenza altrui.
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