Obersorbische Grammatik

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Possessive pronouns

Independent declinable possessive pronouns

Upper Sorbian has the following possessive pronouns:

mój my
twój your (sing.)
naš our (plur.)
waš your (plur.)
swój one’s own

The above pronouns are inflected for gender, number and case and agree in all these three categories with the noun referring to the possessed object:

mój	bratr
my Nom.sing.masc.	brother Nom.sing.masc.
my brother

mojemu	bratrej
my Dat.sing.masc.	brother Dat.sing.masc.
to/for my brother

moja	sotra
my Nom.sing.fem.	sister Nom.sing.fem.
my sister

mojej	sotře
my Dat.sing.fem.	sister Dat.sing.fem.
to/for my sister

Usage of the reflexive possessive pronoun

The reflexive possessive pronoun is used instead of the regular possessive pronouns when the subject of a sentence and the possessor reffer to the same person:

regular possessive pronouns:

Ty maš moju knihu. You have my book.
Ja mam twoju knihu. I have your book.

vs. reflexive possessive pronoun:

Ty maš swoju knihu. You have your book.
(not: *Ty maš twoju knihu.)
Ja mam swoju knihu. I have my book.
(not: *Ja mam moju knihu.)

Personal pronouns in the Genitive as possessive pronouns

There are no separate possessive pronouns for the 3rd person possessors of all three numbers (corresponding to the English his, her, its, their) and for the 1st and 2nd person dual possessors. The Genitive forms of the respective personal pronouns are used instead.

jeho his, its (literally he Gen. or it Gen.)
jeje her (literally she Gen.)
jich their (literally they Gen.)
naju our (dual) (literally two of us Gen.)
waju your (dual) (literally two of you Gen.)

As these pronouns used in the possessive function have only the Genitive form of a fixed grammatical number they don't agree with the possessed object:

jeho	bratr
he Gen.sing.masc.	brother Nom.sing.masc.
his brother

jeho	bratrej
he Gen.sing.masc.	brother Dat.sing.masc.
to/for his brother

jeho	sotra
he Gen.sing.masc.	sister Nom.sing.fem.
his sister

jeho	sotře
he Gen.sing.masc.	sister Dat.sing.fem.
to/for his sister

Declension

1st person singular possessor pronoun
mój my

	singular				dual		plural
	masc.		fem.	neut.	vir.	nonvir.	vir.	nonvir.
N	mój		moja	moje	mojej		moji	moje
G	mojeho		mojeje	mojeho	mojeju		mojich
D	mojemu		mojej	mojemu	mojimaj		mojim
A	mojeho	mój	moju	moje	mojeju	mojej	mojich	moje
I	(z) mojim		(z) mojej	(z) mojim	(z) mojimaj		(z) mojimi
L	(w) mojim		(w) mojej	(w) mojim	(w) mojimaj		(w) mojich

2nd person singular possessor pronoun
twój your (sing.)

	singular				dual		plural
	masc.		fem.	neut.	vir.	nonvir.	vir.	nonvir.
N	twój		twoja	twoje	twojej		twoji	twoje
G	twojeho		twojeje	twojeho	twojeju		twojich
D	twojemu		twojej	twojemu	twojimaj		twojim
A	twojeho	twój	twoju	twoje	twojeju	twojej	twojich	twoje
I	(z) twojim		(z) twojej	(z) twojim	(z) twojimaj		(z) twojimi
L	(w) twojim		(w) twojej	(w) twojim	(w) twojimaj		(w) twojich

1st person plural possessor pronoun
naš our

	singular				dual		plural
	masc.		fem.	neut.	vir.	nonvir.	vir.	nonvir.
N	naš		naša	naše	našej		naši	naše
G	našeho		našeje	našeho	našeju		našich
D	našemu		našej	našemu	našimaj		našim
A	našeho	naš	našu	naše	našeju	našej	našich	naše
I	(z) našim		(z) našej	(z) našim	(z) našimaj		(z) našimi
L	(w) našim		(w) našej	(w) našim	(w) našimaj		(w) našich

2nd person plural possessor pronoun
waš your (plur.)

	singular				dual		plural
	masc.		fem.	neut.	vir.	nonvir.	vir.	nonvir.
N	waš		waša	waše	wašej		waši	waše
G	wašeho		wašeje	wašeho	wašeju		wašich
D	wašemu		wašej	wašemu	wašimaj		wašim
A	wašeho	waš	wašu	waše	wašeju	wašej	wašich	waše
I	(z) wašim		(z) wašej	(z) wašim	(z) wašimaj		(z) wašimi
L	(w) wašim		(w) wašej	(w) wašim	(w) wašimaj		(w) wašich

reflexive possessive pronoun
swój one’s own

	singular				dual		plural
	masc.		fem.	neut.	vir.	nonvir.	vir.	nonvir.
N	swój		swoja	swoje	swojej		swoji	swoje
G	swojeho		swojeje	swojeho	swojeju		swojich
D	swojemu		swojej	swojemu	swojimaj		swojim
A	swojeho	swój	swoju	swoje	swojeju	swojej	swojich	swoje
I	(z) swojim		(z) swojej	(z) swojim	(z) swojimaj		(z) swojimi
L	(w) swojim		(w) swojej	(w) swojim	(w) swojimaj		(w) swojich

Agreement

The grammatical number the possessive pronouns are inflected for reffers to the number of possessed object and not to the number of possessors:

To je moja kniha. This is my book.
To stej mojej knize. These are my [two] books.
To su moje knihi. These are my [more than two] books.

The number of possessors is marked by choosing the appropriate pronoun rather than its inflectional form:

To je moja kniha. This is my book.
To je naju kniha. This is a book of the two of us.
To je naša kniha. This is our book.

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