Minulla on veli.

I have a brother.

Breakdown of Minulla on veli.

• minä: I
• veli: the brother

Questions & Answers about Minulla on veli.

Why is minulla used instead of minä in this sentence?

Finnish doesn’t have a standalone verb “to have”. Instead you say “olla” (to be) plus the possessor in the adessive case (–lla/–llä). So minulla is minä in adessive, literally “at me” or “on me.” The literal structure is “On me is [something].”

What does the adessive case –lla/–llä on minulla literally express?

Adessive marks location “on” or “at.” When used with olla, it creates a possession construction.
• Minulla on = “On me is …” = “I have …”

Why do we use on instead of a Finnish verb meaning “have”?

Finnish lacks a direct equivalent of English “to have.” Possession is shown with the existential verb olla (“to be”) plus the possessor in adessive:  • Minulla on auto = “I have a car.”
 • Sinulla on koira = “You have a dog.”

What is the literal, word-for-word translation of Minulla on veli?

On me is brother.

What case is veli in, and why isn’t there a possessive suffix (like –ni)?

Veli is in the nominative singular. In the minulla on-construction the possessed noun stays uninflected (nominative)—no possessive suffix is added. The possessor is shown by the adessive pronoun, not by a suffix on veli.

How do you say “I don’t have a brother” in Finnish?

Use the negative verb ei (3rd person) and put the object into the partitive case:
 Minulla ei ole veljeä.
Here veljeä is the partitive singular of veli.

How do you ask “Do you have a brother?” in Finnish?

Turn on into its question form onko, keep the possessor in adessive, and use the nominative for the object:
 Onko sinulla veli?
(You can also say Onko sinulla veljeä? for “Do you have any brother at all?”)

How would you say “I have two brothers”?

Numerals 2–4 govern the partitive singular, so:
 Minulla on kaksi veljeä.
For “three brothers” you’d still say kaksi veljeä, “three veljeä” etc. For larger amounts you switch to partitive plural:
 Minulla on viisi veljeä.

How do you say “my brother” (as in “my brother is tall”)?

Here you use the possessive suffix on veli (nominative):
 Veljeni on pitkä.
Literally “Brother-my is tall.” You can also say minun veljeni, but the suffix form veljeni is more common.