Questions & Answers about Mun vanha kämppis on sinkku.
Why is it mun instead of minun here?
Mun is the very common spoken Finnish form of minun (my). Since this sentence uses casual vocabulary like kämppis and sinkku, using the formal minun would actually sound out of place and unnaturally stiff.
What does the word kämppis come from?
It is a colloquial word for roommate. It comes from kämppä, which is a slang word for apartment or pad, combined with the -is suffix that is often used to create spoken-language nouns (like roskis for trash can). The standard written word for roommate is huonetoveri.
Is sinkku related to the English word 'single'?
Yes, it is a direct loanword! Finnish often adapts English words by adding a vowel to the end so they fit Finnish pronunciation and grammar rules, making it sinkku. Keep in mind that sinkku is only used for relationship status, not for describing 'a single thing'.
Since this lesson focuses on spoken language pronouns, how would I follow up by saying 'He is single' or 'They are single'?
In spoken Finnish, you use the pronoun se for a person instead of the formal hän. So 'He is single' becomes Se on sinkku. If referring to multiple roommates, you use ne with a singular verb, making it Ne on sinkkuja.