questo è mio marito
The English phrase "this is my husband" is translated into Italian as questo è mio marito.
You use this phrase to introduce your husband to another person.
Which one should you use?
In standard Italian, you should not include the article before the possessive when referring to a single, close family member. Therefore, you say questo è mio marito rather than the incorrect questo è il mio marito.
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective mio (my) is used without an article before the singular word marito (husband) because it refers to a close family member.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the article il before mio marito (e.g., questo è il mio marito), as it is grammatically incorrect in standard Italian for this context.
Did you know?
- In Italian, if you introduce your husband by saying mio marito, you omit the article il because he is a close relative, but if you introduce your step-husband, you must include it.
- The word questo is built from the Latin eccum, a deictic word used to point things out. It is a linguistic relative of the Italian word ecco, which is used to say 'here it is' or 'there you go'.
- In very formal or old-fashioned social circles, a woman might introduce her husband using the phrase le presento mio marito, which literally means 'I present my husband to you'.
Examples in context
- Questo è mio marito.This is my husband.This example shows how to use the phrase questo è mio marito.Tatoeba #8428233 by Guybrush88, translation #1898105 by CK
- Questo è mio marito, Marco.This is my husband, Marco.
Example conversation
Martina is introducing her husband to Francesco at a party.
- FrancescoCiao Martina, piacere di vederti!Hi Martina, nice to see you!
- MartinaCiao Francesco! Questo è mio marito.Hi Francesco! This is my husband.
- FrancescoPiacere di conoscerti.Nice to meet you.
- MartinaLui è molto simpatico.He is very nice.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marito, mio, questo, è, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
