Learn Hardcore Finnish: Minulla on ehdotus uudesta projektista.

Literally, Minulla is the adessive form of minä (I), meaning “at me,” and on is the 3rd-person singular of olla (to be). So Minulla on literally means “at me is.” In English we translate it idiomatically as “I have.”

Why is Minulla in the adessive case instead of using the nominative minä?

In Finnish possession is expressed with the adessive case (ending -lla/-llä) plus the verb olla. The adessive means “at” or “by,” so Minulla (“at me”) shows the possessor. You cannot say Minä on to mean “I have.”

What case is ehdotus in and why isn’t it marked with a different case like the partitive?

Here ehdotus is in the nominative singular. In the structure Minulla on X, the thing possessed (X) normally appears in the nominative when stating a definite possession. If you wanted to indicate an indefinite or partial object you might use the partitive, but for a straightforward “I have a suggestion,” nominative is correct.

Why is uudesta projektista in the elative case (ending -sta)?

The elative case (-sta/-stä) often translates as “out of” or “from.” In ehdotus uudesta projektista, it means “a suggestion of a new project.” You use the elative to indicate the origin or source of something—here the suggestion comes from a new project.

How does the adjective uusi (new) change to uudesta in the elative case?

Adjectives follow the same case marking as the nouns they modify. The stem of uusi undergoes consonant gradation to uud-, then you add the elative ending -esta, giving uudesta.

Can the word order be changed, and if so, how flexible is it?

Finnish has relatively free word order because of its case system. You could say Ehdotus uudesta projektista on minulla to emphasize ehdotus uudesta projektista. However, the neutral order is Minulla on ehdotus uudesta projektista, with the possessor first.

How would you ask someone if they have a suggestion for a new project?

Invert on into a question form and switch to the 2nd-person adessive sinulla:
Onko sinulla ehdotus uudesta projektista?
In more formal speech you might use the partitive for ehdotus: Onko sinulla ehdotusta uudesta projektista?

How do you express that you had a suggestion (in the past) instead of “have” in the present?

Replace the present tense on with the past tense oli:
Minulla oli ehdotus uudesta projektista.
This means “I had a suggestion for a new project.”