Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona.

I have four books at home.

Breakdown of Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona.

• minä: I
• kotona: at home
• kirja: the book
• neljä: four

Questions & Answers about Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona.

Why is it Minulla on instead of something like Minä olen to say I have?

Finnish doesn’t usually use a separate verb meaning to have.
Instead, it uses the verb olla (to be) plus a special case on the possessor:

• Minulla on neljä kirjaa.
  Literally: On me is four books.

So:

• Minulla = on/at me (adessive case of minä, I)
• on = is (3rd person singular of olla)

The thing you possess (neljä kirjaa) behaves grammatically like the subject, and the possessor (minulla) is in a case meaning on/at.

What case is minulla, and what does that ending -lla mean?

Minulla is the adessive case of minä (I).

• Basic form: minä
• Adessive: minulla = on me / at me

The -lla / -llä ending (adessive case) often expresses:

• location on a surface: pöydällä = on the table
• location at a place: asemalla = at the station
• possession: minulla on = I have (literally: on me is)

So minulla here marks the possessor in this “have” construction.

Why is the verb on (3rd person singular) used when the meaning is I have?

In Minulla on neljä kirjaa, the verb on agrees with the thing possessed, not with the possessor.

• Verb: on (3rd person singular is)
• Logical subject: neljä kirjaa (four books)

The structure is:

• [Adessive possessor] + on + [thing possessed]
• Minulla on neljä kirjaa. = On me is four books.

So even though the meaning is I have, grammatically the sentence is closer to There are four books with me → On me is four books → I have four books.

Why is it neljä kirjaa, not neljä kirjat or neljä kirjaa vs kirjat?

With numbers 2 and above, Finnish normally uses the partitive singular of the noun:

• 1 book: yksi kirja (nominative singular)
• 2 books: kaksi kirjaa (partitive singular)
• 4 books: neljä kirjaa
• 10 books: kymmenen kirjaa

So:

• kirja = book (nominative singular)
• kirjaa = book (partitive singular)

You do not say neljä kirjat. The pattern is: number (≥2) + noun in partitive singular.

What exactly is the form kirjaa? Is it singular or plural?

Kirjaa is partitive singular of kirja.

• kirja = book (basic form)
• kirjan = of the book (genitive singular)
• kirjaa = (some) book / book (partitive singular)
• kirjat = the books (nominative plural)
• kirjoja = (some) books (partitive plural)

After numbers 2 and higher, Finnish uses partitive singular, so neljä kirjaa literally means four of book → four books.

What does kotona mean exactly, and what case is it?

Kotona means at home (in the sense of inside the home).
It’s the inessive case (the “in” case) of koti (home).

• Basic form: koti = home
• Inessive (in): kodissa = in the house/home (more literal)
• Colloquial/idiomatic: kotona = at home (fixed expression)

For koti, the “at home” form is special and irregular-looking:

• koti → stem koto- / kodo- → kotona (at home)

You use kotona when you mean at home in the general, idiomatic sense.

What is the difference between koti, kotona, and kotiin?

They express different spatial relations:

• koti – basic form: home

  • e.g. Rakastan kotiani. = I love my home.

• kotona – inessive (at home / in the home)

  • Olen kotona. = I am at home.

• kotiin – illative (to home / into the home)

  • Menen kotiin. = I’m going home.

So in Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona, kotona answers where? → at home.

Can I change the word order, like Kotona minulla on neljä kirjaa?

Yes. Finnish word order is quite flexible, and you can move elements around for emphasis.

Some possible orders:

• Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona.
  Neutral: I have four books at home.

• Kotona minulla on neljä kirjaa.
  Emphasis on kotona: At home, I have four books (but maybe elsewhere I have more or none).

• Minulla kotona on neljä kirjaa.
  Emphasis can feel a bit heavier on minulla kotona as one unit.

All are grammatically fine; the differences are mostly about what you want to highlight.

Can I leave out kotona and just say Minulla on neljä kirjaa?

Yes.

• Minulla on neljä kirjaa. = I have four books.

Adding kotona just specifies where you have them:

• Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona. = I have four books at home (as opposed to somewhere else).

If Finnish doesn’t have articles, how would I say I have the four books at home?

Finnish has no the or a/an, so you usually express that idea with context or demonstratives:

• Minulla on ne neljä kirjaa kotona.
  = I have those four books at home.

• Minulla on ne neljä kirjaa kotona, joista puhuttiin.
  = I have the four books at home that we talked about.

Here ne (those) works like the when you refer to specific, known books.

How would I say I have four books at my home (emphasizing that it’s my home)?

You can mark possession on koti with a possessive suffix:

• kotonani = at my home
• Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotonani.

This literally means: On me is four books at-my-home.
You can also just use kotona and rely on context; if you say Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona, listeners usually assume it’s your home unless context says otherwise.

Can I drop minulla and just say On neljä kirjaa kotona?

You can say:

• Kotona on neljä kirjaa. = There are four books at home.

but then you are not saying who has them; you’re just stating their existence/location.

If you want to express possession (I have), you need the adessive possessor:

• Minulla on neljä kirjaa kotona. = I have four books at home.
• Sinulla on neljä kirjaa kotona. = You have four books at home.
• Hänellä on neljä kirjaa kotona. = He/She has four books at home.

Dropping the -lla phrase changes the meaning from possession to existence.