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Questions & Answers about Niskani on kylmä.
What does niskani mean and how does the suffix -ni work?
niskani means my nape or the back of my neck. The suffix -ni is the possessive suffix for first person singular, indicating that the noun belongs to me. Finnish attaches this suffix directly to the noun instead of using a separate word for “my.”
Why don’t we use minun in this sentence?
Because the possessive suffix -ni already conveys ownership, so adding minun would be redundant. Native speakers drop minun when they use -ni.
What case is niskani in, and why?
niskani is in the nominative case with a possessive suffix. It functions as the subject of the sentence. In Finnish, subjects and their predicate complements are in the nominative case.
Why are there no articles like a or the?
Finnish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context, so you simply say niskani on kylmä without a or the.
What is on in this sentence?
on is the third person singular present tense of the verb olla, which means to be. It corresponds to English is.
Why is kylmä in the basic (nominative) form?
After olla, predicate adjectives remain in the nominative. Here kylmä functions as the adjective “cold” complementing on.
Can I say minun niskani on kylmä instead?
Yes, it’s grammatically correct but redundant. It’s more natural to drop minun when using the possessive suffix -ni.
What’s the difference between niska and kaula, and why use niska here?
niska specifically means the back of the neck (nape), while kaula refers to the whole neck region. Using niskani emphasizes that it’s the back of your neck that’s cold.