La Mia Famiglia or Mia Famiglia?

Question

I am confused as I thought Mia Famiglia translated to My Family, but I was recently corrected and told it was La Mia Famiglia... what is the difference?

Answer 1

When Sonia G writes "...when speaking in Italian, you should never leave out the definite (or indefinite) article", I'm assuming she means in this particular case, that is, 'la mia famiglia'.

With many of the terms for relatives in the singular, the article is left out if the possessive adjective comes before the noun, e.g. 'mia sorella'. The plural form, however, takes the article: 'le mie sorelle'. Note also that if the possessive adjective comes AFTER the noun, the article is used, e.g., 'la sorella mia'. And, if the noun is qualified with an additional adjective, the article is also used, e.g., 'la mia vecchia madre'.

Answer 2

Hello and Good Afternoon,

Thank you for asking this question. The major difference between these two phrases is the missing Definite Article, or articolo definitivo.

In English we are accustomed to leave out the definite article as this phrase can stand on its own words, however, when speaking in Italian, you should never leave out the definite (or indefinite) article.

Thanks for your inquiry and please feel free to reach out to me with any similar future inquiries.

Buona Giornata!!