Family 2
Mio fratello & mia sorella
We've seen how, in Italian, you have to include il or la before words like mio, tuo, and suo.
Io mangio il mio panino.
I eat my sandwich.
Il gatto beve il suo latte.
The cat drinks its milk.
But there's an exception to this rule! Before words referring to family members, you usually don't include il or la when the noun is singular.
Dov'è mia sorella?
Where is my sister?
Lui è mio fratello.
He is my brother.
Remember to use i or le before miei and mie if you are talking about more than one family member.
Loro sono i miei fratelli.
They are my brothers.
Nome e cognome
In Italian, the word nome refers to your first name, but like in English, sometimes it might also refer to your full name. The word cognome refers to your surname or last name.
Il tuo nome è sulla domanda?
Is your name on the application?
Qual è il vostro cognome?
What is your surname?
It's not uncommon in Italy to address people by using their surname first, followed by their first name, especially in formal contexts. You'll also see this in documents or on rosters.
Niece, nephew, grandson, or granddaughter?
The Italian word nipote means nephew, niece, grandson, or granddaughter. That's a lot! But you should be able to know what they mean based on context.
Un nipote è il figlio di un fratello o di una sorella.
A nephew is the son of a brother or a sister.
Una nipote è la figlia di tuo fratello o sorella.
A niece is the daughter of your brother or sister.
Note that nipote is a masculine word when it means nephew or grandson, but a feminine word when it means niece or granddaughter.