VES: Lesson - Additional Information About Personal Pronouns

Additional Information About Personal Pronouns

Now that we know the basics, let's explore some additional details about personal pronouns.

Possession and the Personal Pronoun

The personal pronoun will never be used to express possession: my friend will never be written amicus mei. Instead, Latin uses possessive adjectives:

• meus, mea, meum - my; mine
• tuus, tua, tuum - your (singular); yours
• noster, nostra, nostrum - our; ours
• vester, vestra, vestrum - your (plural); yours

The expression "my friend" is written meus amicus or amicus meus. Keep an eye out for these special adjectives in the Sight Reading Passage. We will learn more about the formation and usage of adjectives in the next module.

Genitive Uses for Pronouns

If the genitive isn't being used to express position, then what was the genitive pronoun used for? The genitive form of the pronoun is only used in certain expressions:

1. Partitive Genitive: when the genitive expresses a part of the whole (a few of us: pauci nostrum)
2. Objective Genitive: when the genitive acts as an object for a noun with verbal force (care for us: cura nostri)

Notice that there are two forms for the plural genitive pronouns: nostrum vs. nostri and vestrum vs. vestri. These two forms are used in two different circumstances:

• Partitive: nostrum, vestrum
  • Multi vestrum librum legent. - Many of you will read the book.
• Objective: nostri,  vestri
  • Est periculum nostri. - It is a danger for us.

Conversational Uses of Personal Pronouns

There are two simple conversational phrases involving personal pronouns: What is your name? and My name is...

While both of these examples look as though they contain an example of a possessive adjective, the pronouns used here are dative. 

This is a special use of the dative called the Dative of Possession. It only occurs with forms of the linking verb (est, sunt, etc.). The image contains a brief introductory conversation between two Roman women which demonstrates this construction. The text reads:

• Quod nomen tibi est?
  • Literal Translation: What is the name for you?
• Mihi nomen est Livia.
  • Literal Translation: For me the name is Livia.
    • Alternatively: Livia is the name for me.

It just so happens that English prefers a possessive in this expression, so a better translation for each line would be:

• Quod nomen tibi est?
  • What is your name?
• Mihi nomen est Livia. 
  • My name is Livia.

Practice Activity