His Own, Her Own: suus
Suus names something that belongs to the subject, and it agrees with that thing.
How It Works
Suus points back to the subject. It declines like bonus, and its ending matches the noun that follows it.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | suus | sua | suum |
| accusative | suum | suam | suum |
| genitive | sui | suae | sui |
| dative | suo | suae | suo |
| ablative | suo | sua | suo |
| accusative plural | suos | suas | sua |
Compare two sentences. Marcus patrem suum amat says that Marcus loves his own father. Marcus patrem eius amat says that Marcus loves the father of someone else, because eius points to a person who is not the subject.
The ending follows the noun, not the owner. Iulia is a girl, but she loves her father with patrem suum, because patrem is masculine.
Suus is for the third person. For I, you and we, Latin has meus, tuus, noster and vester.
Examples (5)
- Marcus patrem suum amat.
Marcus loves his own father.
Suum agrees with patrem, which is accusative singular masculine.
- Iulia et Livia matrem suam vident.
Iulia and Livia see their own mother.
Suam is accusative singular feminine, to match matrem.
- Pastor cum ovibus suis ambulat.
The shepherd walks with his sheep.
Suis is ablative plural, to match ovibus.
- Marcus eius patrem videt.
Marcus sees her father.
Eius means of her, so the father belongs to someone other than Marcus.
- Sacerdos populum suum benedicit.
The priest blesses his people.
Suum agrees with populum. The priest is both the owner and the subject.
Common Mistakes
Giving suus the gender of the owner.
Iulia patrem suam amat.Iulia patrem suum amat.Suus takes the gender of the noun it describes. Pater is masculine, so the word is suum, even though Iulia is a girl.
Using eius for the subject's own father.
Marcus patrem eius amat.Marcus patrem suum amat.The sentence with eius is correct Latin, but it says that Marcus loves another person's father. To say his own father, write suum.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Suus is the possessive that matches se.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice His Own, Her Own: suus in Bubblegum
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