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 unchanged?