Possessive Adjectives or Pronouns.
By adding the adjectival ending -a to the personal pronouns, the Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns are obtained. Thus: Mia, my, mine; cia, thy, thine; via, your, yours; nia, our, ours; lia, his; ŝia, her, hers; ĝia, its; sia (reflexive), his, her(s), its, their(s), one's.
Note the following use of sia. In English the sentence, "He saw his friend with his brother," is not clear. Does it mean that he saw his friend (1) with his friend's brother, or (2) with his own brother? In Esperanto, the use of sia makes the meaning quite clear; (1) would be: Li vidis sian amikon kun LIA frato, and (2) would be: Li vidis sian amikon kun SIA frato.
The word mem, meaning -self or -selves, may be added to a personal pronoun to give emphasis. Thus: Konu vin mem, know thyself; li iris mem, he went himself; li mem, himself; li parolis al si mem, he spoke to himself.
Like other adjectives, possessives agree in case and number with the noun to which they refer. Ex.:
- lia libro, his book; liaj libroj, his books;
- ŝi havas lian, kaj li havas ŝian, she has his, and he has hers;
- liaj estas la plej bonaj libroj, his are the best books;
- mi preferas miajn, I prefer mine; li preferas siajn, he prefers his;
- ili preferas siajn, they prefer theirs.