Lesson 3

Possessive Pronouns

mine - ours, yours - yours, his/hers - theirs

A possessive pronoun expresses who owns what, or who is related with whom. The possessive pronouns are used instead of the personal pronouns we learned in Lesson 1. The form, however, changes with the gender of the noun possessed or person (related to).

3.1 Possessive Pronouns for Masculine Singular Nouns
The following are used for masculine singular nouns or neutral nouns expressed as masculine (it).

Person     	Singular       	     Plural

1		yuKw = (he is) mine     ynaKw = (he is) ours
2 (m)   	kuKw = yours     	entaKw = yours
2 (f)   	kuKw = yours     	entaKw = yours
3 (m)  		niKw  = his      	naKw = theirs
3 (f)  		nruKw = hers     	naKw = theirs

Example 3.1

When the possessive pronoun mine, yours, etc. stands for a father, a brother, and a friend:

yuKw gn    	=  He (It) is mine  ( father, brother, friend or thing)
kuKw gn    	=  He is yours
niKw gn     	=  He is his
entaKw gn 	=  It is yours

3.2 Possessive Pronouns for Feminine Singular Nouns
The following are used when the possessive pronoun stands for a feminine, singular noun (you, she, they as in gena = mother, shani = sister) or stands for a neutral noun expressed as a feminine (it) (Ili = an eye, erqui = a tooth, arba = the moon, kwara = the sun).

Person        Singular             	  Plural

1               yri  = (she is) mine 		yneri  = ours
2 (m)           kuri = yours 			enteri = yours
2 (f)           kuri = yours 			enteri = yours
3 (m)           niri = his                      nari   = theirs
3 (f)           nrdi = hers 			nari   = theirs

Example 3.2

The possessive pronoun mine, yours, his etc. stands for a feminine person such as a mother, a sister, or a friend enti yri gn = you (feminine) are mine. The same can be said of the third person feminine she (nri). nri yri gn = she is mine. In both 3.1 and 3.2 the noun referred to is singular (3.1 it is of masculine gander while tin 3.2 it is of a feminine gender). We have different possessive pronouns for plural nouns ( 3.3 below).

3.3 Possessive Pronouns for Plural Nouns
The possessive pronoun is the same for feminine and masculine plural nouns.

Person         Singular             			Plural

1               yu  = mine (they, you)      	  ynew  = ours (they, you)
2 (m)           ku  = yours                       entew = yours
2 (f)           ku  = yours                       entew = yours
3 (m)           niw = his (they are)              naw   = theirs
3 (f)           nru = hers                        naw   = theirs

Examples. 3.3

naw nru gn 	 = they are hers.
yn ku gn 	 = we are yours
mal ynew gn 	= The cattle are ours
kew yu gn 	 = the (people) are mine

New Vocabulary
arba 	= the moon  
kwara 	= the sun
Ili 	= eye               
mal 	= cattle, property, money
kew	= people             
erqui 	= tooth

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