Saluton!

I was reading on another thread that one could translate a posessive (e.g. John's) with the -a ending adjective (e.g. johna or some such thing). This got me thinking: How would one translate "patrina avo"--as "mother's grandfather" or "maternal grandfather"? Or possibly both, just depending on context?

Antaudankeme,
korona

korona:I was reading on another thread that one could translate a posessive (e.g. John's) with the -a ending adjective (e.g. johna or some such thing). This got me thinking: How would one translate "patrina avo"--as "mother's grandfather" or "maternal grandfather"? Or possibly both, just depending on context?

In practice, as far as I can find, "patrina avo" is only used to refer to one's own mother's father. So for instance:
"Oni nomis la knabon Karlo-Teodoro por kontentigi lian *patran avon* S-ron Karlo Davis kaj lian *patrinan avon* S-ron Teodoro Renberg." (1)

The boy was named Charles-Theodore to satisfy his paternal grandfather [or: his father's father] Mr Charles Davis and his maternal grandfather [or: his mother's father] Mr Theodore Renberg.

Since "patrina avo" is reserved for the father of one's own mother, you must translate "my mother's grandfather" / "my mother's grandmother" as "the grandfather/the grandmother of my mother" so that there's no ambiguity:
"La familia nomo de *la avino de mia patrino*, je la ina flanko, estis Girvan, kaj ŝia familio devenas de la samnoma urbeto." (2)

My mother's grandmother's surname, on the female side, was Girvan ...

(1) Edmond Privat. Karlo: Facila legolobro por la lernado de Esperanto. 1910

(2) Garvan Makaj. Pli pri la mistera insulo. 2009