Possessive Pronouns ('minun', 'sinun', ...) — Finnish Grammar

These are the words for "my", "your", "his/her", and so on. They are not a separate set to memorise: each is a personal pronoun carrying -n, the same ending that turns any noun into an owner. is I; is my, in exactly the way becomes .

The Forms

- my
- your (singular)
- his / her
- our
- your (plural / polite)
- their

minun nimeni
my name
hänen autonsa
his/her car
meidän kotimme
our home

Paired With an Ending on the Noun

Notice that the noun in those examples is also marked: nimeni, autonsa, kotimme each carry an ending naming the same owner. Saying it twice is the standard pattern, not a redundancy. The pronoun can be dropped and the noun's ending will carry the meaning alone.

Tämä on minun kirjani.
This is my book.
Missä on sinun autosi?
Where is your car?
Heidän lapsensa on koulussa.
Their child is at school.

Gender-Neutral Like the Pronoun

Just as means "he" or "she", means "his" or "her" - context decides.

Hänen ystävänsä soitti.
His/her friend called.

With Position Words

After a word like (with), the pronoun appears in front and the position word itself takes the owner ending.

Tule minun kanssani.
Come with me.
Istun sinun vieressäsi.
I sit next to you.

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