Question 1

Why is altrui placed after idee instead of before it like other possessives?

Accepted Answer

altrui is a special indefinite possessive adjective meaning 'other people's' or 'belonging to others'. The strict rule for altrui is that it must always be placed after the noun it modifies. For a normal possessive you would say le nostre idee (our ideas), but with altrui it has to be le idee altrui.

Question 2

Since idee is plural, why doesn't altrui change to match it?

Accepted Answer

altrui is an invariable adjective, meaning it never changes its form. Whether the noun is singular feminine (l'idea altrui), plural feminine (le idee altrui), or masculine (il cane altrui), the word altrui always stays exactly the same.

Question 3

In English we say 'other people's ideas' without an article. Why is the article le used here?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, you almost always need the definite article with possessives, and altrui is no exception. You can think of the Italian structure as 'the ideas of others'. The article le belongs to idee, and altrui simply acts as an adjective describing whose ideas they are.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use non ... mai instead of just mai for 'never'?

Accepted Answer

Italian requires a double negative when a negative word like mai comes after the verb. Because mai is placed after rubiamo, the sentence must start with non. You could say Mai rubiamo le idee altrui without the non, but putting mai first is highly emphatic and less common.

Non rubiamo mai le idee altrui.

Breakdown of Non rubiamo mai le idee altrui.

Questions & Answers about Non rubiamo mai le idee altrui.

Learn Non rubiamo mai le idee altrui and more in Italian