Anteeksi, minulla on kysymys.

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Breakdown of Anteeksi, minulla on kysymys.

• anteeksi: sorry
• kysymys: the question

Questions & Answers about Anteeksi, minulla on kysymys.

Why does the sentence use anteeksi instead of olen pahoillani to say "excuse me"?

Anteeksi is a polite way to say excuse me or sorry in order to get someone’s attention or apologize briefly. On the other hand, olen pahoillani means I am sorry in a more personal sense, typically used for expressing regret about something you’ve done. In this context, you just want to politely grab attention, so anteeksi is more appropriate.

Why is the verb "to have" translated as minulla on instead of a direct equivalent like minä omistan?

In Finnish, possession is often expressed with the construction minulla on, which literally translates to on me there is. It can mean I have. Meanwhile, minä omistan tends to mean I own and is used less frequently in everyday expressions of having something.

Why do we say kysymys in its basic nominative form instead of another case?

Since you are simply stating that you have a question in general, the noun remains in its nominative form kysymys (question). If you were referring to, for example, one question out of many, you might use a partitive form kuten kysymystä in a larger context, but here the basic form emphasizes just the existence of a question.

Which part of the sentence literally means "excuse me, I have a question"?

Anteeksi translates to excuse me/sorry, minulla indicates I have, and on is part of the structure meaning there is (to me). The last word kysymys means question. Put together, Anteeksi, minulla on kysymys = Excuse me, I have a question.

Can anteeksi be used in both formal and informal situations?

Yes. Anteeksi is universal: it can be used in casual, polite, or very formal environments. Although you might hear more casual variants like sori in everyday conversation, anteeksi is perfectly acceptable and understood in all registers.