How do you say "my friend's cat" in English? - briefly
To express "my friend's cat" in English, you would say "my friend's cat."
How do you say "my friend's cat" in English? - in detail
To translate "my friend's cat" into English, one must understand the structure of possessive noun phrases in English grammar. The phrase consists of three components: the possessor ("my friend"), the object possessed (the cat), and the possessive marker ('s or s').
In English, when indicating possession, we typically use an apostrophe followed by an 's' for most nouns. However, the specific construction "my friend's cat" involves a nested possessive structure, where one possessive noun phrase is embedded within another. This can be broken down as follows:
- Possessor: The word "friend" is modified by the possessive determiner "my," indicating that the friend belongs to the speaker.
- Object Possessed: The word "cat" refers to the animal that is possessed.
- Possessive Marker: The apostrophe and 's' are used to show that the cat belongs to the friend.
Putting it all together, the phrase "my friend's cat" in English translates directly as:
- My (possessive determiner indicating ownership by the speaker)
- Friend (the person who owns the cat)
- 's (apostrophe and 's', indicating possession)
- Cat (the object possessed)
Thus, "my friend's cat" in English is a straightforward possessive construction that follows standard grammatical rules for indicating ownership. It clearly communicates that the cat belongs to the speaker’s friend.