Breakdown of Minulla on avain, mutta lukko on vanha.
minä
I
olla
to be
vanha
old
mutta
but
avain
the key
lukko
the lock
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Minulla on avain, mutta lukko on vanha.
Why do we use Minulla on to say I have?
Finnish doesn’t have a verb equivalent to “to have.” Instead it uses olla (“to be”) combined with the possessor in the adessive case (marked by -lla/-llä) to express possession. Literally Minulla on avain means “On me is a key,” i.e. “I have a key.”
What does the suffix -lla in minulla indicate?
The suffix -lla marks the adessive case. Besides meaning location (“on top of”), it’s used here to indicate the possessor in a possession construction. So minä (I) + -lla → minulla (on me/with me).
Why is avain in the nominative case without a possessive suffix?
In an affirmative existential-possessive sentence the item you possess stays in the nominative case and remains uninflected. Possession is shown by the adessive possessor + olla, not by declining the object.
Why are there no articles like a or the in “Minulla on avain”?
Finnish doesn’t use definite or indefinite articles. Whether something is definite or indefinite is inferred from context, so you simply say Minulla on avain for “I have a key.”
In the second clause, why is lukko in the nominative and vanha unchanged?
Lukko on vanha is a basic predicative sentence: lukko is the subject (nominative) and vanha is a predicate adjective that agrees with the subject in case (nominative).
What is the function of mutta in the sentence?
mutta means but. It’s the coordinating conjunction used to introduce a contrasting or limiting clause. Here it contrasts having the key with the lock’s age.
Could we change the word order to Avain on minulla?
Yes. Finnish word order is relatively flexible. Avain on minulla is grammatically correct but shifts emphasis onto avain (the key). The neutral order for “I have a key” is Minulla on avain.
How do you ask “Do you have a key?” in Finnish?
You’d say Onko sinulla avainta?
- Onko is the question form of on (3rd person olla).
- sinulla is “on you” (you-ADESSIVE).
- avainta is the partitive form of avain, because questions (and negatives) with olla typically put the object in the partitive.
How would you say “I don’t have a key” in Finnish?
You say Minulla ei ole avainta.
- ei ole is the negative form of olla.
- avain takes the partitive (avainta) in negative sentences.