Finnish pronouns: minä, sinä, hän and how they change
Finnish has six personal pronouns, one gender-neutral word for 'he' and 'she', and a set of short spoken forms you will hear everywhere. Here is how they all work.
5 min read · Updated 10 October 2026
The six personal pronouns
| Finnish | English | Spoken (Helsinki area) |
|---|---|---|
| minä | I | mä |
| sinä | you (one person) | sä |
| hän | he / she | se |
| me | we | me |
| te | you (more than one, or polite) | te |
| he | they (people) | ne |
In written Finnish you can often leave out minä, sinä, me and te, because the verb ending shows the person: Olen opettaja (I'm a teacher), Puhutko englantia? (Do you speak English?). Hän and he are usually kept.
Hän is gender-neutral
Finnish has no separate words for 'he' and 'she'. Hän covers both, and anyone else. So Hän on lääkäri can mean 'He is a doctor' or 'She is a doctor'. Only the context tells you which. Many learners find this one of the easiest parts of Finnish.
In written Finnish, hän is only for people. For animals and things you use se (it), and in the plural ne (they).
Hän on opettaja.
He/she is a teacher.
Minulla on koira. Se on kolme vuotta vanha.
I have a dog. It is three years old.
Hän puhuu ruotsia, ja hänen miehensä puhuu suomea.
She speaks Swedish, and her husband speaks Finnish.
Personal pronouns in the main cases
Pronouns take case endings like nouns. These are the forms you need most often:
| Nominative | Genitive | Partitive | Accusative | Adessive (-lla) | Elative (-sta) | Allative (-lle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| minä | minun | minua | minut | minulla | minusta | minulle |
| sinä | sinun | sinua | sinut | sinulla | sinusta | sinulle |
| hän | hänen | häntä | hänet | hänellä | hänestä | hänelle |
| me | meidän | meitä | meidät | meillä | meistä | meille |
| te | teidän | teitä | teidät | teillä | teistä | teille |
| he | heidän | heitä | heidät | heillä | heistä | heille |
What each form is used for
- Genitive (minun): 'my', usually with a possessive suffix: minun kirjani (my book). Also with täytyy: Minun täytyy lähteä (I have to leave).
- Partitive (minua): with many verbs, such as rakastaa (love) and auttaa (help): Rakastan sinua (I love you).
- Accusative (minut): a whole, finished action on a person: Näin sinut eilen (I saw you yesterday). Only personal pronouns have this special -t form.
- Adessive (minulla): possession: Minulla on kysymys (I have a question).
- Elative (minusta): 'about me', and 'in my opinion': Minusta tämä on hyvä idea (I think this is a good idea).
- Allative (minulle): 'to me' or 'for me': Soita minulle! (Call me!)
Teitä is both 'you' (partitive plural of te) and 'roads' (partitive plural of tie). Context always makes it clear, but it's a fun one to notice.
Spoken pronouns: mä, sä, se, ne
In everyday speech, especially in and around Helsinki, Finns use shorter pronouns. They are not slang in a rude sense: you will hear them at work, on TV and among friends. In other regions you will also hear mää and sää (for example in Tampere and Turku), and other local forms.
| Written | Spoken | Spoken genitive | Spoken partitive | Spoken -lla form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minä | mä | mun | mua | mulla |
| sinä | sä | sun | sua | sulla |
| hän | se | sen | sitä | sillä |
| me | me | meidän | meitä | meillä |
| te | te | teidän | teitä | teillä |
| he | ne | niiden | niitä | niillä |
Notice that spoken Finnish uses se for people too, and ne for 'they'. Se tulee huomenna can mean 'He/she is coming tomorrow'. In writing you would say Hän tulee huomenna.
Mulla on nälkä.
I'm hungry. (written: Minulla on nälkä.)
Soita mulle!
Call me! (written: Soita minulle!)
Mä rakastan sua.
I love you. (written: Minä rakastan sinua.)
Musta tää on kiva.
I think this is nice. (written: Minusta tämä on kiva.)
Polite 'you': te
Te can also be a polite way to address one person, a habit called teitittely. It is much less common in Finland than in many other languages. Most Finns use sinä with almost everyone, including colleagues and bosses. You may hear te in formal service situations or when speaking to older people you don't know.
Demonstratives: tämä, tuo, se
Finnish has three words where English has 'this' and 'that':
| Word | Meaning | Plural | Spoken |
|---|---|---|---|
| tämä | this (near me) | nämä | tää, nää |
| tuo | that (over there, you can point at it) | nuo | toi, noi |
| se | that / it (already mentioned, or near you) | ne | se, ne |
They also take case endings: tässä (in this, here), tuossa (in that, there), siinä (in it, there), tästä, tuosta, siitä, and so on. Related place words are täällä (here), tuolla (over there) and siellä (there).
Mitä tämä on?
What is this?
Tuo talo on vanha.
That house is old.
Se on totta.
That's true.
Nämä kengät ovat liian pienet.
These shoes are too small.
Asun tuolla.
I live over there.
Other pronouns you will meet early
- kuka (who): Kuka hän on? (Who is he/she?)
- mikä (what, which): Mikä tämä on? (What is this?) More in Finnish questions.
- itse (self): Tein sen itse (I did it myself).
- joku (someone), jokin (something), kaikki (everyone, everything).
Practise with Maija
Pronouns are easiest to learn by hearing both the written and the spoken forms in real conversation. Maija is an AI Finnish tutor who talks with you out loud, answers what you say and gently corrects forms like minua and minut. She can explain in 12 languages, and she runs real-life scenarios where you meet everyday spoken Finnish. Take the free level check to get started.
Frequently asked questions
Is 'hän' he or she?+
Both. 'Hän' is gender-neutral and is used for any person. Only the context shows whether it means he or she.
What do 'mä' and 'sä' mean?+
They are the spoken forms of 'minä' (I) and 'sinä' (you), very common in everyday speech, especially in the Helsinki area.
What is the difference between 'minua' and 'minut'?+
'Minua' is the partitive, used with verbs like 'rakastaa' (Rakastan sinua). 'Minut' is the accusative, for a complete action: 'Hän näki minut' (He/she saw me).
When do Finns use 'te' to one person?+
Rarely. 'Te' to one person is a polite form, mostly heard in formal service situations or with older strangers. Most people say 'sinä'.
Why do Finns say 'se' about people?+
In spoken Finnish 'se' (it) is the normal everyday word for he or she, and 'ne' for they. In writing, 'hän' and 'he' are used for people.