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Questions & Answers about Hän on minun ystävä.
Why do we use "minun" instead of "minä"?
"Minun" is the genitive form of minä. In Finnish, the genitive case is typically used to show possession (similar to my in English). So, minun ystävä means my friend rather than I friend.
Can we say "Hän on ystäväni" instead of "Hän on minun ystävä"?
Yes, you can. Ystäväni is a perfectly acceptable way to express my friend too. Essentially, "minun ystävä" and "ystäväni" both mean my friend, but ystäväni uses the possessive suffix (-ni). It’s more concise and often more common in written Finnish.
Is "hän" used for both he and she?
Yes, Finnish has only one third-person singular pronoun (hän), and it is gender-neutral. Context usually clarifies whether it refers to a male or a female.
Do I need an article like "a" or "the"?
No. Finnish does not have articles like English does. You simply say Hän on ystävä for He/She is a friend, without adding any article.
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