Learn Hardcore Finnish: Punainen paita sopii minulle hyvin.

Punainen paita is in the nominative singular case. In Finnish, the nominative marks the subject of a sentence (here, “red shirt” is what “fits”). Since we are stating that Punainen paita is the item that “suits,” it stays in the nominative.

Why is minulle used instead of the nominative minä?

Minulle is the allative case, indicating “to me” or “for me.” The verb sopia (“to suit”) requires the person being suited to be in the allative, not the nominative subject form minä.

What exactly is the allative case, and how is minulle formed?

The allative (ending typically -lle) expresses direction or benefit (“to/for someone”). You take the pronoun minä, drop the -ä, add -ulle, giving minulle. It literally means “to me” or “for me.”

Why is there no direct object after sopii?

In this construction, sopia is intransitive for the item that suits; the thing doing the fitting is the subject (Punainen paita in nominative) and the person is in allative (minulle). There is no separate direct object.

What form is the verb sopii, and why does it agree with paita?

Sopii is the third-person singular present tense of sopia. It agrees with the singular subject paita (“shirt”). In Finnish, verbs don’t change for gender but must agree in person and number.

Why is hyvin used here instead of hyvä?

Hyvin is an adverb (“well”) modifying the verb sopii. Hyvä is an adjective (“good”) and would describe nouns, not verbs. You need the adverbial form hyvin to express “fits well.”

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Punainen paita sopii hyvin minulle?

Yes. Finnish has flexible word order for emphasis. Punainen paita sopii hyvin minulle focuses more on hyvin, but all permutations are grammatically acceptable: Hyvin punainen paita minulle sopii would sound poetic.

Is it okay to say mulle instead of minulle?

Yes. Mulle is the colloquial form of minulle and very common in speech. In formal writing, minulle is preferred, but both mean “to me.”

How would you say “The red shirt doesn’t suit me well” in Finnish?

You negate the verb: Punainen paita ei sovi minulle hyvin. Note ei is the negative auxiliary for third-person singular, followed by the verb in the con-negative form sovi.