meidän

Meidän is a Finnish possessive determiner meaning “our.” It marks that the noun it accompanies belongs to the speaker and at least one other person, and it can be used in two main ways in Finnish grammar.

One common form is the possessive suffix on the noun, which is the typical way to express possession in Finnish. For example, talomme means “our house.” Here the noun talo carries the first-person plural suffix -mme, and no separate determiner is needed.

Alternatively, possession can be shown with the independent determiner ennen the noun: meidän talo means “our house” with the bare noun talo following the determiner. In this use, the noun generally does not take a possessive suffix. The predicative form is also possible: Talo on meidän, meaning “The house is ours.”

Etymology and grammar: meidän is the genitive form of the pronoun me (we) and functions as a possessive determiner. It is invariable and does not inflect for number or case in itself; instead, the possessed noun carries its own inflection or, when used with meidän, remains in its bare form. The two approaches—suffix on the noun or the determiner before a bare noun—are both correct and convey possession, with nuance depending on emphasis and style.

Usage notes: The suffix form (talomme) is very common in everyday speech and writing. The determiner form (meidän talo) is used for emphasis, contrast, or clarity, or when the noun is not yet marked for possession. The predicative construction (Talo on meidän) is also used to state possession without repeating the noun.

See also: Finnish grammar, possessive constructions, personal pronouns in Finnish.