The difference between "мой" (my) and "свой" (one's own). This is a classic tricky point for English speakers because both often translate to "my," but their usage depends entirely on the sentence structure.
The Core Rule: Focus on the Subject
The choice depends entirely on who is doing the action and who owns the object.
Think of it like this:
- Мой/Моя/Моё/Мои is used when the object belongs to the subject, but the action is directed at someone or something else. It's often used with verbs that involve another person.
- Свой/Своя/Своё/Свои is used when the object belongs to the subject and the action is directed back at the subject themselves or remains within their sphere. It implies "my own," "your own," "his own," etc.
When to Use "Свой" (One's own)
This is the key pronoun to learn. Use свой when the owner of the item is the same person who is doing the action (the subject of the sentence).
The Golden Formula: Subject + Verb + Свой + Object
Examples by Gender:
- Я (I - masculine) -> Я вижу своего друга. (I see my friend.) - The friend belongs to "me," the subject.
- Я (I - feminine) -> Я люблю свою работу. (I love my job.) - The job belongs to "me," the subject.
- Он (He) -> Он забыл свой паспорт. (He forgot his passport.) - The passport belongs to "him," the subject.
- Она (She) -> Она рассказала свою историю. (She told her story.) - The story belongs to "her," the subject.
- Они (They) -> Они продали свою машину. (They sold their car.) - The car belongs to "them," the subjects.
In all these cases, you can mentally replace "my/his/her" with "my own/his own/her own" and the sentence still makes perfect sense. This is a great way to check.
When to Use "Мой" (My)
Use мой when you are talking about something that belongs to you, but the action of the verb involves another person. The subject of the sentence is often someone else.
Examples:
He sees my friend.
- Он видит моего друга.
- Here, the subject is "он" (he), but the friend belongs to "me." The action is directed away from the subject towards someone else's possession.
She loves my mother.
- Она любит мою маму.
- The subject is "she," but she loves "my" mother.
They broke my phone.
- Они сломали мой телефон.
- The subject is "they," but they broke "my" phone.
Direct Comparison: "Мой" vs. "Свой"
Let's look at similar sentences to see the difference clearly.
| English Sentence | Russian Translation | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I am reading my book. | Я читаю свою книгу. | The subject ("I") is using their own book. Action is self-contained. |
| She is reading my book. | Она читает мою книгу. | The subject ("she") is reading someone else's book (my book). |
| He is talking to his wife. | Он говорит с своей женой. | The subject ("he") is talking to his own wife. |
| He is talking to my wife. | Он говорит с моей женой. | The subject ("he") is talking to someone else's wife (my wife). |
| We are walking our dog. | Мы гуляем с нашей собакой. | The subject ("we") is walking their own dog. (Note: "наш" is the possessive pronoun for "we") |
| We are walking their dog. | Мы гуляем с их собакой. | The subject ("we") is walking someone else's dog (their dog). |
Important Exception & Tip
Exception: In sentences where the subject is implied but not stated (like in infinitives or commands), you usually use свой.
- Возьми свой зонт! (Take your umbrella!) - The implied subject is "you."
- Я хочу купить свою машину. (I want to buy my own car.)
Tip: If you can add the word "own" to the sentence in English ("my own," "your own"), you must use свой in Russian. If it sounds strange to add "own," you probably need мой, твой, его, etc.
Summary: Свой is a reflexive possessive pronoun. It "reflects" back to the subject of the clause. If the subject owns the object, use свой. If the owner is different from the subject, use the appropriate possessive pronoun (мой, твой, его, её, наш, ваш, их).
Practice by identifying the subject first, and the choice will become much easier
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