Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns are identical in form to possessive adjectives; the difference is in meaning. Where the possessive adjective "il mio" means "my," for example, the possessive pronoun "il mio" means "mine": "le tue scarpe e le mie" <your shoes and mine>.
It is important to note that possessives agree in gender and number with the thing possessed, rather than with the possessor:
"i miei amici" <my friends>
"la loro automobile" <their car>.
If ambiguity results from the use of possessives, possession may be expressed by means of "di" with a disjunctive pronoun: "la sua valigia" <his or her or your suitcase>; "la valigia di lui" <his suitcase>.
If the possessor is also the subject of the sentence, "proprio" may be used instead of "suo" or "loro":
"Giovanni porta la propria valigia" <John carries his own suitcase>.
"Proprio" MUST be used after impersonal expressions:
"Bisogna portare le proprie valige" <One must carry one's own pieces of luggage>.
When referring to articles of clothing and parts of the body, the definite article is regularly used instead of the possessive adjective:
"le scarpe" <her shoes>; "la testa" <his head>.