Minulla on uusi kamera repussa.

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Breakdown of Minulla on uusi kamera repussa.

• uusi: new
• -ssa: in
• reppu: the backpack

Questions & Answers about Minulla on uusi kamera repussa.

Why is it Minulla and not minä?

Finnish expresses “have” with a locative possessor: minä (I) + adessive case -lla → minulla (“at me”). The pattern Minulla on X literally means “At me is X,” i.e., “I have X.” Using minä here would be ungrammatical.

Why is the verb on and not olen?

In the possessive/existential construction, Finnish uses the 3rd person singular of “to be”: on. You say Minulla on…, not Minä olen…, because the verb agrees with the “existing thing,” not the possessor.

What case is uusi kamera, and why?

It’s nominative singular. In these Minulla on sentences, the item you “have” is in the nominative if it’s a whole, countable thing.

• Whole item: Minulla on uusi kamera (repussa).
• Some quantity/unspecified amount or plural “some”: Minulla on uusia kameroita (repussa). In negation, the item goes to partitive:
• Minulla ei ole uutta kameraa (repussa).

Why can’t I say Minulla on uuden kameran?

Because in existential/possessive clauses with olla, the thing that “exists” with the possessor is nominative (or partitive), not genitive/accusative. Uuden kameran would be genitive/accusative and is ungrammatical here.