Question 1

Why do we use "i" before miei and nostri? Doesn't that mean "the my" and "the our"?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it literally translates to "the my" and "the our"! In Italian, possessive adjectives almost always need a definite article (like il, la, i, or le) right before them. Since both vicini and animali are masculine plural nouns, we use the masculine plural article i.

Question 2

Why is it miei instead of mio?

Accepted Answer

Possessive adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Because vicini (neighbors) is plural, the possessive must also be plural. Note that miei is slightly irregular: the masculine singular is mio, but the plural changes to miei.

Question 3

How do we know to use nostri instead of another form of "our"?

Accepted Answer

Just like miei, the word for "our" has to match the noun it describes. Animali is a masculine plural noun, so we use the masculine plural form nostri. If it were a feminine plural noun, we would use nostre.

Question 4

The word animali ends in "i". Does that mean it is a standard masculine plural noun?

Accepted Answer

It is a masculine plural noun, but it follows a different pattern. The singular word is animale (animal), which ends in "-e". In Italian, almost all nouns that end in "-e" in the singular change their ending to "-i" in the plural, whether they are masculine or feminine.

Question 5

Is the "h" in hanno pronounced?

Accepted Answer

No, the "h" in Italian is always completely silent. Hanno (they have) is pronounced exactly like anno (year). The "h" is only there so we can tell the two words apart when reading and writing.

I miei vicini hanno i nostri animali.

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