свой/своя/свое/свои

The Reflexive Possessive Свой

Level 3Sounds Like svoj/svoâ/svoe/svoi

Свой is the long form of the reflexive possessive: Тя взе своите неща (She took her own things). The owner is always the subject.

How It Works

1. The forms. Свой agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner:

  • Masculine: свой, with the article своят/своя
  • Feminine: своя, with the article своята
  • Neuter: свое, with the article своето
  • Plural: свои, with the article своите

Before a specific noun it takes the article, like other possessives with the article: Всеки обича своя град. The masculine uses the short article своя in object position. Without the article it means a ... of one's own: Всеки има свое мнение (Everyone has their own opinion).

2. Every person. Свой does not change for the owner: Разкажи ни за своето пътуване (Tell us about your trip), Тя взе своите неща (She took her things). With аз and ти, моя and твоя are also correct: Взех моята чанта = Взех своята чанта.

3. The third person. Here the choice changes the meaning: Иван продаде своята кола (his own car), but Иван продаде неговата кола (another man's car). Свой points to the subject of its own clause: in Мария каза, че Иван е продал своята кола, the car is Ivan's.

4. Not for the subject. Свой cannot describe the subject itself. My car is new is Моята кола е нова.

5. Свой or си? The short possessive си means the same and is more common in speech: Тя взе нещата си = Тя взе своите неща. Свой adds a little emphasis and suits writing, or phrases with an adjective: за своята нова работа (about her new job).

Examples (6)

  1. Всеки обича своя град.

    Everyone loves their own city.

  2. Тя взе своите неща и си тръгна.

    She took her things and left.

  3. Всеки има свое мнение.

    Everyone has their own opinion.

    Without the article: an opinion of one's own.

  4. Той продаде своята кола.

    He sold his car.

    Своята makes clear that the car is his own.

  5. Разкажи ни за своето пътуване.

    Tell us about your trip.

  6. Децата показаха своите рисунки.

    The children showed their drawings.

Common Mistakes

  • Using свой for the subject.

    Своята кола е нова.
    Моята кола е нова.

    Свой points back to the subject, so it cannot be part of the subject. Use the ordinary possessive.

  • Using неговата to mean the subject's own, as in "Ivan sold his (own) car".

    Иван продаде неговата кола.
    Иван продаде своята кола.

    Неговата кола usually means another man's car. For the subject's own car, use своята or колата си.

  • Matching свой to the owner instead of the thing owned.

    Тя взе своята неща.
    Тя взе своите неща.

    Свой agrees with неща, which is plural, not with тя.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

свой/своя/свое/своиLevel 3The Reflexive Possessive Свой

Learn This First

Свой builds on possessives and си.

Words in This Pattern

свой