Learn Italian: I miei coinquilini sono simpatici, e i tuoi?

I miei coinquilini sono simpatici, e i tuoi?

My roommates are nice, and yours?

Breakdown of I miei coinquilini sono simpatici, e i tuoi?

Questions & Answers about I miei coinquilini sono simpatici, e i tuoi?

Why is there an i before tuoi at the end? Doesn't tuoi already mean 'yours'?

In English, we just say 'yours', but in Italian, possessive pronouns (words that stand in for a noun) almost always keep their definite article. Because it takes the place of 'your roommates' (i tuoi coinquilini), we keep the article and say i tuoi.

How do I know whether to use il tuo, la tua, i tuoi, or le tue for 'yours' here?

The pronoun has to match the gender and number of the noun it replaces, not the person who owns it. Since 'yours' refers back to the roommates (coinquilini), which is a masculine plural noun, you must use the masculine plural form: i tuoi.

Does i miei coinquilini mean all my roommates are men?

Not necessarily! In Italian, the masculine plural is used for a mixed group of men and women. If your roommates were all women, you would say le mie coinquiline.

The singular of simpatici is simpatico. Why does the plural end in -ci instead of -chi?