To express that something belongs to "us" or "you" (plural), attach a possessive suffix to the end of the noun. Standard Finnish often drops the genitive pronouns meidän (our) and teidän (your) and relies solely on the suffix:
- -mme = our
- -nne = your (plural)
| Our living room is big and spacious. | Olohuoneemme on iso ja tilava. |
| Is your balcony small, but your location good? | Onko parvekkeenne pieni, mutta sijaintinne hyvä? |
These suffixes attach to the noun's inflectional stem. For words ending in -e (like alue or parveke), the final vowel doubles. Words with consonant gradation use their strong stem (e.g., parveke → parvekkee-).
| Our neighborhood is quiet, but our area is old. | Naapurustomme on hiljainen, mutta alueemme on vanha. |
Possessives with Case Endings
If the noun has a case ending, such as the inessive (in: -ssa/-ssä) or elative (from/about: -sta/-stä), the possessive suffix is added after the case ending.
- talossa
- -mme = talossamme (in our building)
- kylpyhuoneessa
- -nne = kylpyhuoneessanne (in your bathroom)
- olohuoneesta
- -mme = olohuoneestamme (from/about our living room)
| Our building has twenty-five floors. | Talossamme on kaksikymmentäviisi kerrosta. |
| Is there a renovation in your bathroom? | Onko kylpyhuoneessanne remontti? |
| We like our new living room. | Pidämme uudesta olohuoneestamme. |
Adjectives and Objects
When you describe a possessed noun with an adjective, the adjective takes the normal case ending but does not take the possessive suffix.
| Our new home is small, but our neighborhood is cozy. | Uusi kotimme on pieni, mutta naapurustomme on viihtyisä. |
| Our new piece of furniture is expensive. | Uusi huonekalumme on kallis. |
If the possessed noun is the object of an action, it normally takes the genitive ending -n. However, when you add a possessive suffix, this final -n drops away. Any adjectives describing the object still keep their -n ending.
- uusi sohva (a new sofa)
- ostatte uuden sohvan (you buy a new sofa)
- ostatte uuden sohvanne (you buy your new sofa)
| Where are you buying your new sofa? | Mistä ostatte uuden sohvanne? |