Svojich

Svojich is a Slovak word that functions as a possessive determiner meaning “one’s own.” It is the genitive plural form of the pronoun-adjective svoj (one’s own) and is used to indicate ownership by the subject of the clause. Svojich appears in phrases where the head noun is in genitive plural, and it agrees with that noun in case, number, and gender.

In Slovak, possessive adjectives such as svoj, tvoj (your), jeho/jej (his/her), náš (our), váš (your), and ich (their) decline to reflect the noun they modify. The form svojoch is reserved for the genitive plural, where it marks ownership by the subject. For example: “Viděl svojich priateľov” translates as “He saw his own friends.” Here priateľov is the genitive plural form of “priateľ” (friend), and svojich shows that the ownership belongs to the subject of the clause.

Usage notes include the general principle that svoj is used to emphasize ownership by the subject, often to avoid ambiguity when multiple potential owners are involved. Unlike some languages, Slovak requires agreement between the possessive determiner and the noun it modifies, with svojich specifically used in the genitive plural position.

Relation to other languages: in Czech, the closest equivalent possessive form is svých, which serves a similar function but follows Czech grammar. The Slovak form svo­jich reflects common Slavic patterns for reflexive possessives.

See also: Slovak grammar, possessive adjectives, pronouns, genitive case.