Russian Grammar

7. Reflexive possessive pronoun свой

Apart from using possessive pronouns, to express the idea of possession Russians use the reflexive possessive pronoun свой. Depending on the context, it can mean “my”, “your”, “her”, “his” etc. It is used instead of possessive pronouns and refers back to the subject of the sentence. The form depends on the gender and number of the object:

Я потерял свои заметки.

I  lost my notes.

Он потерял свои заметки.

He lost his notes.

Мы потеряли свои заметки.

We lost our notes.

Заметки is plural, so the correct form is свои.

Talking about 1st or 2nd person, you can use the possessive pronouns, but it is more natural to use свой:

Я люблю свой дом. / Я люблю мой дом.

I love my home.

Вы расскажете о своей поездке? / Вы расскажете о вашей поездке?

Will you tell about your trip?

Talking about 3rd person, be sure to choose the right pronoun:

Она продала свою квартиру. – reflexive possessive pronoun

She sold her (own) apartment.

Она продала её квартиру. – possessive pronoun

She sold her (someone else’s) apartment.

Note:

When talking about body parts, Russians most often omit possessive pronouns:

Он сломал руку.

He broke his arm.

Она открыла глаза.

She opened her eyes.