Breakdown of Vappu on suosikkini juhlapäivistä.
olla
to be
minun
my
suosikki
the favorite
juhlapäivä
the holiday
Questions & Answers about Vappu on suosikkini juhlapäivistä.
Why is the verb on used here instead of olen?
In Finnish, the verb olla (to be) always agrees with the subject of the sentence.
- Vappu is the subject.
- Vappu is third person singular.
- The third person singular form of olla is on.
So:
- Vappu on … = May Day is …
- Minä olen … = I am …
You cannot say Vappu olen here, because that would wrongly use the I am form with a third-person subject.
What does the ending -ni in suosikkini mean?
The ending -ni is a possessive suffix meaning my.
- suosikki = favourite
- suosikkini = my favourite
So suosikkini literally means my favourite (one).
This suffix often corresponds to English my, your, etc., attached directly to the noun:
- kirja = book → kirjani = my book
- koira = dog → koirani = my dog
- suosikki = favourite → suosikkini = my favourite
Can I also say minun suosikkini? How is that different from just suosikkini?