Minä haluan ostaa uuden kirjan.

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Breakdown of Minä haluan ostaa uuden kirjan.

• kirja: the book
• uusi: new
• haluta: to want
• ostaa: to buy

Questions & Answers about Minä haluan ostaa uuden kirjan.

Why does the sentence use Minä at the start? Can it be left out?

Minä means “I” in Finnish. It’s common to include it in written or formal contexts for clarity. However, you can leave it out because the verb form (haluan) already indicates the first-person singular. So, Haluan ostaa uuden kirjan is also grammatically correct and has the same meaning.

Why is the object uuden kirjan and not something like uusi kirja?

In Finnish, when you want to say you’re buying a single, specific, complete object, you use the accusative form. The noun kirja appears as kirjan in this context (it looks like the genitive form but functions as the accusative). The adjective uusi must match this case, turning into uuden. That’s why it becomes uuden kirjan.

Could I say Minä haluan ostaa uutta kirjaa instead?

You could, but the meaning changes slightly. Minä haluan ostaa uuden kirjan focuses on a single, complete new book you want to buy. Minä haluan ostaa uutta kirjaa (using partitive) would sound less specific, more like you are considering buying “some kind of new book” or possibly multiple books, without focusing on completing the purchase of one specific book.

What does haluan mean and how is it formed?

Haluan comes from the verb haluta, meaning “to want.” In the present tense, first-person singular uses the ending -n. So, haluta → (minä) haluan. If you omit minä, the word haluan still indicates that the subject is “I.”

How do I know when to use the infinitive ostaa?

After verbs that express wanting, needing, liking, and similar concepts in Finnish (like haluta), you generally use the first infinitive form of the next verb. Since haluan means “I want,” you follow it with the infinitive ostaa (“to buy”).