savo
Reflexive Possessive Savo
savo = my own, your own, his own, her own, our own, their own. It never changes its form.
How It Works
One word for every person. Savo works for all persons and never changes: Aš myliu savo šeimą. (I love my family.) Ar tu turi savo kambarį? (Do you have your own room?) Mes parduodame savo namą. (We are selling our house.) Like mano and tavo, it stays the same whatever the gender, number or case of the noun.
He, she and they: savo or jo? In the third person the choice changes the meaning.
- Rūta skambina savo mamai. Rūta is calling her own mother.
- Rūta skambina jos mamai. Rūta is calling another woman's mother.
I and you. With aš, tu, mes and jūs, savo is the usual choice. You will also hear mano or tavo here, especially for emphasis, and the meaning does not change. Savo is the safe habit.
Savo is not a stand-alone substitute for my. In a simple statement identifying whose brother acts, use an ordinary possessive. Say Mano brolis dirba banke (My brother works at a bank), not Savo brolis....
Its own clause. In a simple finite clause, savo normally refers to that clause’s subject. In Tomas sako, kad Rūta pamiršo savo telefoną, the phone is Rūta's. Savo also works with an infinitive that has no subject: Reikia mylėti savo šalį. (One should love one's country.) The matching pronoun for "myself, himself" is savęs, sau, save.
Examples (6)
- Aš myliu savo šeimą.
I love my family.
Word by Word: I love own family.
- Jonas ieško savo rakto.
Jonas is looking for his (own) key.
Ieškoti takes the genitive, so rakto; savo stays the same.
- Rūta skambina jos mamai.
Rūta is calling her (another woman's) mother.
Jos points to a different woman, not to Rūta.
- Vaikai tvarko savo kambarius.
The children are tidying their rooms.
- Ar tu atsinešei savo knygą?
Did you bring your book?
- Kiekvienas turi savo nuomonę.
Everyone has their own opinion.
Common Mistakes
Using jo, jos or jų for the subject's own thing.
Petras pamiršo jo telefoną.Petras pamiršo savo telefoną.If Petras forgot his own phone, the owner is the subject, so use savo. Jo telefoną means another man's phone.
Using savo as a stand-alone way to say “my friend”.
Savo draugas gyvena Kaune.Mano draugas gyvena Kaune.In this simple statement there is no person for reflexive savo to refer back to. To identify the friend as yours, use mano.
Using savo for an owner who is not the subject.
Aplankiau Tomą ir pagyriau savo butą.Aplankiau Tomą ir pagyriau jo butą.If you mean Tomas's apartment, use jo. The subject here is "I", so savo butą would mean your own apartment.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Savo points back to the subject of the same clause.
Related Patterns
- savęs / sau / saveThe Reflexive Pronoun Savęs
The reflexive pronoun "oneself" also points back to the subject.
Level 3 - kienoWhose with Kieno
Kieno asks "whose?", and savo is one way to answer.
Level 1 - Genitive of Possession
The genitive also shows the owner, as in brolio namas.
Level 2 - manasis / tavasisLiterary Possessives Manasis and Tavasis
Compare the related definite possessives manasis, tavasis and savasis.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice savo in Bubblegum
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