Questions & Answers about Hänen enollaan on uusi koira.
Why is it enollaan instead of just enolla?
Because the sentence means 'his uncle has' (literally 'on his uncle is'). When using a third-person possessive word like hänen (his/her), Finnish requires you to also attach a possessive suffix to the end of the noun. We take the adessive form enolla (on uncle) and add the suffix to get enollaan.
Why is the possessive suffix -an here instead of -nsa?
The third-person possessive suffix has two forms: -nsa/-nsä or a lengthened vowel plus -n (often called the -Vn ending). Because enolla ends in a, we lengthen that vowel and add n, making it enollaan. You could technically say enollansa, but enollaan is much more common and sounds smoother.
Can I leave out hänen and just say Enollaan on uusi koira?
No, you cannot. While you can often drop the pronoun for 'my' or 'your' (for example, saying just koirani instead of minun koirani), you must always keep the pronoun for third-person owners (hänen or heidän) alongside the possessive suffix.
I learned that uncle is setä. Why does this sentence use eno?
Finnish has two specific words for 'uncle' depending on which side of the family they are on. Setä is your father's brother, and eno is your mother's brother. This sentence specifically refers to his maternal uncle.