Minä annan siskolleni kahvia.

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Breakdown of Minä annan siskolleni kahvia.

• minun: my
• kahvi: the coffee
• sisko: the sister
• antaa: to give

Questions & Answers about Minä annan siskolleni kahvia.

What does Minä indicate in this sentence?

Minä is the subject pronoun meaning I. In Finnish, even though subject pronouns are often omitted because verb conjugations imply the subject, including Minä can add clarity or emphasis.

Why is the verb form annan used here?

Annan is the first person singular present tense of the verb antaa (to give). The ending -n shows that the subject is I.

How is the indirect object siskolleni formed?

The word siskolleni is created by adding the dative ending -lle to sisko (sister) and then appending the possessive suffix -ni to indicate my. Together, they mean to my sister.

Why is kahvia in the partitive case rather than the basic form kahvi?

Kahvia is the partitive form of kahvi. In Finnish, the partitive case is used to express an indefinite or partial quantity. This construction implies that an unspecified amount of coffee is being given.

Is it necessary to include the subject Minä in the sentence?

No, it isn’t necessary. Finnish verbs carry conjugation endings that already indicate the subject, so Minä can be omitted. It is often included for emphasis or clarity.

How does Finnish express possession within the indirect object, as seen in siskolleni?

Finnish uses possessive suffixes directly on the noun. In siskolleni, the suffix -ni indicates my, combined with -lle (the dative marker), thus compactly expressing to my sister without a separate possessive pronoun.

What can be said about the word order in the sentence Minä annan siskolleni kahvia?

The sentence follows a subject-verb-object order, typical in Finnish, with the indirect object (siskolleni) preceding the direct object (kahvia). While Finnish word order is relatively flexible, this structure clearly marks the roles of the different elements in the sentence.