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Finnish

### Asking "Where To?"

When you want to ask where someone is going, you use the question word **mihin** (where to). It specifically asks for a destination rather than just a static location.

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### The Illative Case (Moving Into)

To answer *mihin*, you use the **illative case**. This case expresses moving *into* or *to* a destination. The ending you use depends on the word, but it always ends in an *-n*:

- **-Vn**: Simply lengthen the final vowel of the word and add *-n*. This is the most common ending (e.g., *koti* becomes *kotiin*).
- **-seen**: Often used for longer words ending in two vowels, or words like *huone* (e.g., *Lontoo* becomes *Lontooseen*, *huone* becomes *huoneeseen*).

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### Matching Cases

Adjectives must match the noun they describe. If your destination noun is in the illative case, any adjective attached to it must also be in the illative case.

You will also sometimes see the **-hVn** illative ending. This is typically used for short words ending in two vowels (like *maa*, which becomes *maahan*).

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### Staying "Into" a Place

In English, you stay *in* a place. In Finnish, logic dictates that your movement stops and you are left *into* a place. Because of this, the verb **jäädä** (to stay) always requires the destination to be in the illative case.

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### Plural Adjective Agreement

Adjectives must also match their nouns in number. If the subject of your sentence is plural, both the noun and any adjectives describing it must take the nominative plural **-t** ending.

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The illative case (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

adjective

adposition

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (tämä, tuo, se)

Singular personal pronouns (minä, sinä, hän)

Plural personal pronouns (me, te, he)

Plural demonstratives (nämä, nuo, ne)

Coordinating conjunctions (ja, mutta, tai)

Yes/no questions (-ko / -kö)

Basic question words (kuka, mikä, missä)

Negation of to be (en ole, ei ole)

The inessive case (-ssa / -ssä)

Double consonant gradation (kk, pp, tt)

Consonant gradation (-ssa/-ssä)

Verb Type 1 (puhun, puhut, puhuu)

Verb Type 1 with consonant gradation

Negative verbs (en puhu, et lue)

External location (-lla/-llä)

There is / there are (kaupungissa on)

Possession (minulla on)

Numbers 1 to 10 (yksi, kaksi, kolme)

The partitive singular (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Quantities with numbers (kaksi autoa)

Negative possession (ei ole)

Numbers 11 to 100 and 1000

Partitive verbs

Partitive personal pronouns (minua, sinua)

Verb Type 2 (-da/-dä)

Partitive for mass nouns (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Partitive for negative objects

Adjective agreement

Verb Type 3

The elative case (-sta/-stä)

Negative possession (minulla ei ole…)

Numbers 21 to 99

Static vs. movement verbs

Verb Type 4 (-Vta / -Vtä)

Verb Type 5 (-ita / -itä)

Genitive singular for possession (-n)

Total object (-n)

Accusative personal pronouns (-t)

Obligation (täytyy)

Into places (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Postpositions with the genitive

My and your (-ni, -si)

Onto and to someone (-lle)

From someone or somewhere (-lta, -ltä)

Telling time (kello on...)

Months of the year (-ssa, -ssä)

Days of the week (-na, -nä)

When and why (milloin, miksi)

The illative case (mihin, -Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Past tense of to be (olin, olit, oli)

The seasons (kevät, kesä, syksy, talvi)

The imperative mood (lue!, syö!, mene!)

The past tense of to be (olin, oli)

The illative case (-hVn, -seen)

Greetings and goodbyes (hei, näkemiin)

Thank you and sorry (kiitos, anteeksi)

Liking things (pitää / tykätä + -sta/-stä)

Temporary states and roles (-na/-nä)

Change of state (-ksi)

Ongoing actions (-massa/-mässä)

Going to do an action (-maan/-mään)

Returning from an action (-masta/-mästä)

Third-person possessives (-nsa/-nsä or -Vn)

Plural possessives (-mme, -nne)

Indefinite pronouns (joku, jokin, kaikki)

Negative indefinite pronouns (ei kukaan, ei mikään)

Commands for verb types 4 and 5

Adverb formation (-sti)

Past tense for verb type 1 (-i-)

Past tense vowel changes for verb type 1 (-o- / -i-)

Past tense for verb type 2 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 3 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 4 (-si-)

Past tense for verb type 5 (-itsi-)

Past tense consonant gradation

Past participles for verb types 1 and 2 (-nut / -nyt)

Past participle singular for verb types 3-5 (-nnut, -llut)

Active past participle plural (-neet)

Past tense negative (en mennyt, emme olleet)

The perfect tense (olen ollut)

The perfect tense negative (en ole nähnyt)

Total plural objects (-t)

Partitive plural (-ia / -iä)

Partitive plural (-ja / -jä)

Partitive plural (-ita / -itä)

Question	Answer
where to	mihin
Where are you going?	Mihin sinä menet?
to drive	ajaa
the home	koti
I am driving home.	Minä ajan kotiin.
to travel	matkustaa
London	Lontoo
We are traveling to London.	Me matkustamme Lontooseen.
The dog goes into the room.	Koira menee huoneeseen.
Are you traveling to a new country?	Matkustatteko te uuteen maahan?
to stay	jäädä
the hospital	sairaala
I am staying in the hospital today.	Minä jään tänään sairaalaan.
Why do you stay at home?	Miksi te jäätte kotiin?
the city center	keskusta
These old cars are driving to the city center.	Nämä vanhat autot ajavat keskustaan.
the museum	museo
The new students are walking to the museum.	Uudet opiskelijat kävelevät museoon.
Where is the teacher going?	Mihin opettaja menee?
the bank	pankki
He is going to the bank.	Hän menee pankkiin.
We are not traveling to London, because we are staying at home.	Me emme matkusta Lontooseen, koska me jäämme kotiin.
The happy children are going to school.	Iloiset lapset menevät kouluun.
Do you drive to the city center often?	Ajatko sinä usein keskustaan?
Does the bus go to the city?	Meneekö bussi kaupunkiin?
Small birds fly into the forest.	Pienet linnut lentävät metsään.
The sick boy is going to the big hospital.	Sairas poika menee isoon sairaalaan.
Where are you walking? To the bank or to the museum?	Mihin sinä kävelet? Pankkiin vai museoon?