Minä olen vanha.

I am old.

Breakdown of Minä olen vanha.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• vanha: old

Questions & Answers about Minä olen vanha.

Why is minä used at the start of the sentence?

Finnish allows dropping the subject pronoun because the verb form (in this case olen) already indicates who is speaking. However, it is also completely correct to include minä, especially in more formal contexts or when you want to emphasize that you're talking about yourself.

How do I pronounce olen correctly?

In Finnish, each syllable is pronounced clearly, so olen is pronounced roughly as oh-len with equal stress on both syllables. Make sure to keep the vowel sounds short and crisp.

Is there a shorter or colloquial way to say olen?

Yes, in spoken Finnish, you’ll frequently hear oon instead of olen. So the sentence could also be heard as Minä oon vanha, or simply Oon vanha in casual speech.

Does vanha change form if I want to say “You are old” or “They are old”?

No, the adjective vanha in the predicate complement form stays the same regardless of the person. For example:
• Sinä olet vanha. (You are old.)
• He ovat vanhoja. (They are old.)
Note that in the plural form, vanha becomes vanhoja to match the plural verb and noun phrase.