Minä olen sinkku.

I am single.

Breakdown of Minä olen sinkku.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• sinkku: the single person

Questions & Answers about Minä olen sinkku.

Why is minä there? Can I just say Olen sinkku?

You usually drop minä in everyday Finnish, because the verb ending already shows the person.

• Minä olen sinkku. = I am single. (neutral, but with slight emphasis on I)
• Olen sinkku. = I am single. (the most natural, default way to say it)

You keep minä when:

• you want to contrast: Minä olen sinkku, mutta hän on naimisissa.
  I am single, but he/she is married.
• you want to be very clear (for beginners, or in noisy situations, etc.)
• you’re stressing the subject emotionally: Minä olen sinkku, enkä siitä välitä!
  I am single, and I don’t care!

Is sinkku a noun or an adjective in Finnish?

Sinkku is a noun. It literally means a single person.

In Minä olen sinkku:

• minä = I (pronoun, subject)
• olen = am (verb, 1st person singular of olla = to be)
• sinkku = a single person (noun in its basic form)

Finnish doesn’t have articles (a/the), so:

• Minä olen sinkku. ≈ I am a single (person).
  Even though in English you say I am single with an adjective, in Finnish you’re saying I am a single person with a noun.