свој

One's Own

Level 3Sounds Like svoǰ

Use свој for something that belongs to the subject of the sentence: Тој ја продаде својата кола. (He sold his own car.)

How It Works

Forms. Свој changes for the thing owned, not for the owner:

  • својот телефон (masculine)
  • својата кола (feminine)
  • своето место (neuter)
  • своите пријатели (plural)

Without the article it appears in phrases such as свој стан (a flat of one's own) and на свој начин (in one's own way).

Third person: свој keeps owners apart. Compare:

  • Марко ја продаде својата кола. — Marko sold his own car.
  • Марко ја продаде неговата кола. — Marko sold his car, and his is usually understood as another man who was mentioned before.

So when the owner is the subject, use свој. Other possessives are covered in негов; нејзин; наш; ваш; нивен.

First and second person. With јас, ти, ние and вие there is nobody to confuse, so both forms are correct: Ја продадов мојата кола and Ја продадов својата кола. Everyday speech often uses мој and твој here (see мој; твој).

Свој is never part of the subject. It points back to a subject, so it cannot describe the subject itself: say Неговата кола е нова, not Својата кола е нова.

As an object. A phrase with свој and the article is a definite object, so a short pronoun repeats it before the verb: Ја продаде својата кола. See удвојување на определен објект.

Family words. With close family words Macedonian usually puts the short form си after the noun instead: Ја посети мајка си. (She visited her own mother.) This is explained in мајка ми; брат ми.

Examples (6)

  1. Тој ја продаде својата кола.

    He sold his own car.

    Word by Word: He it sold own-the car.

  2. Ана ги покани своите пријатели.

    Ana invited her friends.

    Word by Word: Ana them invited own-the friends.

    Своите makes clear that the friends are Ana's own.

  3. Децата ги средија своите соби.

    The children tidied their rooms.

    Word by Word: Children-the them tidied own-the rooms.

  4. Секој има свое мислење.

    Everyone has their own opinion.

    Word by Word: Everyone has own opinion.

    Without the article, свое means "an opinion of their own".

  5. Сакам да имам свој стан.

    I want to have a flat of my own.

    Word by Word: I-want that I-have own flat.

  6. Марко го зеде својот телефон, а не мојот.

    Marko took his own phone, not mine.

    Word by Word: Marko it took own-the phone, and not mine-the.

Common Mistakes

  • Using негов when you mean the subject's own thing.

    Марко го поправи неговиот велосипед.
    Марко го поправи својот велосипед.

    You want to say that Marko fixed his own bike, but неговиот is usually heard as another man's bike. When the owner is the subject, use свој.

  • Using свој inside the subject.

    Својата кола е нова.
    Неговата кола е нова.

    Свој must point back to a subject in the same sentence, so it cannot belong to the subject itself. Name the owner with негов, нејзин, мој or another possessive.

How It Connects

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

својLevel 3One's Own

Learn This First

One's own follows the possessives.

Words in This Pattern

свој