Breakdown of Minusta jokaisella lapsella on oikeus olla turvassa kotona ja koulussa.
Questions & Answers about Minusta jokaisella lapsella on oikeus olla turvassa kotona ja koulussa.
Minusta here means roughly in my opinion or I think.
Literally, minusta is the elative case (the -sta / -stä ending) of minä (I). The idea is something like from me, as in from my point of view.
Very common ways to say I think / in my opinion in Finnish are:
- Minusta
- Minun mielestäni (literally: from my mind)
- Mielestäni (my opinion, with the possessive ending)
All three can often be translated as I think or in my opinion. In this sentence, Minusta is just a short, natural option.
Yes, you can. These are both natural:
- Minusta jokaisella lapsella on oikeus olla turvassa…
- Minun mielestäni jokaisella lapsella on oikeus olla turvassa…
The meaning is practically the same: I think that every child has the right…
Nuance:
- Minusta is a bit shorter and more colloquial in feel.
- Minun mielestäni sounds a little more explicit and sometimes a bit more formal or emphatic, because it literally says in my opinion.
In everyday speech and writing, both are very common.
This is because of how Finnish expresses possession.
The basic structure for have in Finnish is:
- jollakin on jokin
- jollakin = on someone (adessive case: -lla / -llä)
- on = is
- jokin = something
So, instead of saying the child has a right, Finnish literally says something like on every child is a right.
In this sentence:
- jokaisella lapsella = on every child (adessive)
- on oikeus = there is a right → has a right
If you used jokainen lapsi, you would break this pattern. You need the adessive ending -lla on the owner in this possession construction.
Finnish jokainen (every, each) always takes a singular noun:
- jokainen lapsi = every child
- jokaisella lapsella = for every child, each child has
Even though the overall sense is general (all children), grammatically you are talking about each individual child one by one, so the noun is singular.
This is similar to English every child (singular) rather than every children.
Both can translate to something like all children, but with a different nuance:
jokaisella lapsella on oikeus…
- literally: each child has the right…
- emphasizes each individual child’s right.
kaikilla lapsilla on oikeus…
- literally: all children have the right…
- emphasizes the group as a whole.
Both are correct and natural here. The sentence with jokaisella feels slightly more individual-focused.
Yes. On is the 3rd person singular form of olla (to be).
In Finnish, possession uses olla plus the adessive case:
- Jokaisella lapsella on oikeus…
- literally: on every child is a right…
- meaning: every child has a right…
So:
- on oikeus = there is a right → someone has a right.
This is the standard way to say to have a right in Finnish:
jollakin on oikeus tehdä jotain = someone has the right to do something.
Oikeus + infinitive is a fixed pattern:
- oikeus tehdä = the right to do
- oikeus sanoa = the right to say
- oikeus olla = the right to be
So olla is the basic, dictionary form of the verb (the infinitive), meaning to be.
- oikeus olla turvassa = the right to be safe
If you said oikeus on turvassa, that would mean the right is safe, which is a completely different meaning and sounds strange here.
Turvassa is the inessive case (the -ssa / -ssä ending) of turva (safety, protection). The phrase olla turvassa literally means to be in safety, but is best translated as to be safe.
- olla turvassa = to be safe, to be in a safe situation
Turvallinen is an adjective meaning safe (describing a person or thing):
- turvallinen koti = a safe home
- turvallinen koulu = a safe school
- Lapsi on turvallinen is grammatically fine but sounds more like the child is safe as a quality or characteristic.
In this sentence, the common idiom is:
- olla turvassa → be safe.
Koti (home) has irregular local forms. The standard way to say at home is:
- kotona = at home
This -na / -nä form looks like the essive case, but here it functions as a special, fixed locative meaning at home. You do not normally say kodissa for at home in this general sense.
Compare:
- kotona = at home (where you live)
- kotiin = (to) home (direction, going home)
- kotoa = from home (leaving home)
In everyday language, kotona is the normal way to express at home.
Koulussa is the inessive case (the -ssa / -ssä ending) of koulu (school) and means in school or at school.
For normal place words (like koulu), Finnish usually uses:
- koulussa = in / at school
- kouluun = (to) school (going there)
- koulusta = from school
So:
- kotona = at home (special irregular form)
- koulussa = at school (regular inessive form)
Kouluna (essive case) means as a school or in the role of a school, which is a completely different meaning.
You can say either:
- kotona ja koulussa
- koulussa ja kotona
Both are grammatically correct. The order is mostly stylistic. Here, kotona ja koulussa sounds very natural because it matches a common real-world sequence (home, then school).
Finnish usually does not have strict rules for the order of such parallel items; it often follows natural or conventional orderings.
Yes. That sentence is perfectly correct:
- Jokaisella lapsella on oikeus olla turvassa kotona ja koulussa.
Without Minusta, you are stating it as a general fact or principle:
- Every child has the right to be safe at home and at school.
With Minusta, you highlight that this is your personal opinion:
- Minusta jokaisella lapsella on oikeus… = I think every child has the right…
In many contexts, both versions would be fine; the choice depends on whether you want to emphasize your personal viewpoint.