Minä näen ystäväni.

I

Breakdown of Minä näen ystäväni.

• minun: my
• ystävä: the friend
• nähdä: to see

Questions & Answers about Minä näen ystäväni.

What does each word in the sentence mean?

Minä means I; näen is the first-person singular present form of the verb nähdä (to see); and ystäväni translates as my friend, with the suffix -ni indicating possession (i.e. "my").

Why is the subject pronoun minä explicitly stated, given that the verb ending already shows who is doing the action?

In Finnish, the verb’s ending clearly indicates the subject, so the pronoun is often dropped in casual speech. However, including minä can add clarity or emphasis, especially for learners or in stylistic contexts.

How does the possessive suffix -ni work in ystäväni?

Finnish expresses possession by attaching a suffix directly to the noun. In ystäväni, the suffix -ni means "my," so instead of using a separate word like “my” as in English, you modify the noun itself to indicate ownership.

What is the significance of the verb form näen in this sentence?

Näen is the first-person singular present tense form of nähdä. The ending -n in näen signals that the subject is I (minä), which is why additional subject agreement through a separate word isn’t necessary.

Can the word order be modified in Finnish, or is Minä näen ystäväni fixed?

Finnish has a flexible word order due to its rich case system. While Minä näen ystäväni is a standard subject-verb-object construction, you might encounter variations like Ystäväni näen minä for emphasis. Such rearrangements often shift the focus to a particular element without changing the core meaning.