Questions & Answers about He lentävät, mutta minä istun.
Why is it lentävät with an 'nt' instead of 'nn'?
The basic form of the verb is lentää (to fly), which has the strong consonant cluster nt. Most personal endings (like -n for 'I') change the stem to its weak grade (lennän). However, the third-person forms (hän and he) are exceptions that keep the strong grade. So, it stays lentävät.
Does the verb istun (I sit) undergo any consonant changes?
No, it doesn't! The basic form is istua (to sit). Although it contains a t, consonant combinations like st, sp, and sk are exceptions and never undergo consonant gradation in Finnish. The stem stays exactly the same: minä istun.
How does this sentence show that they 'are flying' right now instead of just 'they fly'?
Finnish does not have a separate present continuous tense like English does. A single verb form covers both general facts and actions happening right now. Depending on the context, he lentävät translates to either 'they fly' or 'they are flying'.
Can I drop the pronouns he and minä to make the sentence shorter?
You can drop minä because the -n ending in istun makes it clear that 'I' am doing it. However, in standard Finnish, third-person pronouns like hän (he/she) and he (they) cannot be dropped. In this sentence, keeping minä sounds more natural because it emphasizes the contrast: they are flying, but I am sitting.
Learn He lentävät, mutta minä istun and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free