Question 1

Why does this sentence use propria instead of sua?

Accepted Answer

While sua means "his/her/their", propria translates more closely to "one's own". When the subject of the sentence is an indefinite pronoun like ognuno (everyone), nessuno (no one), or chiunque (anyone), you generally must use a form of proprio instead of suo to refer back to the subject.

Question 2

If ognuno refers to everyone, why is it la propria (feminine singular) and not plural?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, possessive adjectives always agree in gender and number with the thing being possessed, not the person who possesses it. Because the thing they are protecting is la sfera (a feminine singular noun), the possessive adjective must be la propria.

Question 3

Could I use tutti instead of ognuno in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

You could, but the grammar would change. Ognuno means "each one" or "everyone" and takes a third-person singular verb (deve). Tutti means "all" or "everybody" and requires a plural verb. If you used it here, the sentence would have to start with Tutti devono proteggere...

Question 4

Both intima and individuale describe la sfera. Why do they have different endings?

Accepted Answer

Italian has two main types of adjectives. Words like intimo have four endings (-o, -a, -i, -e), so it becomes intima to match the feminine singular noun sfera. However, individuale belongs to the group of adjectives that end in -e in the singular. These adjectives use the exact same -e ending for both masculine and feminine nouns.

Ognuno deve proteggere la propria sfera intima e individuale.

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