татков / мајчин
Possessive Adjectives from Nouns
From татко (father) you get татков (father's): таткова куќа. From мајка you get мајчин: мајчин јазик (mother tongue). These adjectives mostly come from family words and personal names.
How It Works
Two endings.
- -ов / -ев for masculine and neuter nouns that end in a consonant or -о: татко → татков, дедо → дедов, брат → братов, Марко → Марков. After -е or a soft consonant, the ending is -ев: Гоце → Гоцев.
- -ин for nouns that end in -а: сестра → сестрин, баба → бабин. Before -ин, к becomes ч: мајка → мајчин (мајкин is also used).
Agreement. Like any adjective, it changes for the owned thing: татков дом, таткова куќа, татково име, таткови пари. It takes the article like other adjectives: татковиот, татковата, татковото, татковите (see the article on adjectives).
Where it goes. It normally comes before the noun, and the first word of the phrase takes the article when you mean a particular thing: во сестрината куќа (in my sister's house), бабиниот двор (grandma's yard). In relaxed speech it can also follow the noun.
When to use it. These adjectives are common with family words and in fixed phrases: мајчин јазик (mother tongue), мајчино млеко (mother's milk), Маркови Кули (Marko's Towers, above Prilep). For most other owners, the everyday choice is на: куќата на соседот (the neighbour's house), as in possession with на. For "my" or "his", use the possessive words мој and негов.
Not the same as -ски. An adjective in -ски describes a kind of thing, not one owner: детски чевли are children's shoes in general, while братовите чевли belong to one brother. See adjectives from nouns.
Examples (6)
- Живееме во татковата куќа.
We live in father's house.
Word by Word: We-live in father's-the house.
The article goes on the first word of the phrase, the adjective.
- Мојот мајчин јазик е македонски.
My mother tongue is Macedonian.
Word by Word: My-the mother's language is Macedonian.
- Бевме на сестрината свадба.
We were at my sister's wedding.
Word by Word: We-were at sister's-the wedding.
- Децата играат во бабиниот двор.
The children are playing in grandma's yard.
Word by Word: Children-the play in grandma's-the yard.
- Братовите деца дојдоа на гости.
My brother's children came to visit.
Word by Word: Brother's-the children came on guests.
- Маркови Кули се над Прилеп.
Marko's Towers stand above Prilep.
Word by Word: Marko's Towers are above Prilep.
An old possessive adjective survives in this place name.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the masculine form before a feminine noun.
Ова е татков куќа.Ова е таткова куќа.Татков is an adjective, so it agrees with куќа, which is feminine: таткова куќа.
Using -ов with a noun that ends in -а.
Бевме на сестровата свадба.Бевме на сестрината свадба.Nouns that end in -а, such as сестра and баба, take -ин: сестрин, бабин.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Possessive adjectives combine на-possession and adjective suffixes.
Related Patterns
- мајка ми / брат миFamily Words with Short Possessives
Another way to say whose family member: мајка ми (my mother).
Level 2 - негов / нејзин / наш / ваш / нивенHis Her Our Your and Their
Possessive words agree with the owned noun in the same way.
Level 1 - новиот / новатаThe Article on Adjectives
Why the article goes on the adjective: татковата куќа.
Level 2 - Possession With a To-Someone Pronoun
Shows the owner with a short pronoun on the verb instead.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice татков / мајчин in Bubblegum
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