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.