Questions & Answers about Minä etsin sinua.
Why is "you" written as sinua instead of sinä?
The verb etsiä (to look for) is a "partitive verb". This means that the person or thing you are searching for must always be put in the partitive case. The partitive form of sinä (you) is sinua.
Why isn't there a word for "am" in the Finnish sentence?
Finnish doesn't use a "to be" verb to create a continuous action like English does. The single word etsin translates to both "I look for" and "I am looking for".
Can I just say Etsin sinua and leave out Minä?
Yes! Because the -n ending on the verb etsin already tells us that "I" am doing the action, the pronoun minä is optional. Finns often leave it out in everyday conversation unless they want to emphasize that I am the one looking for you.
Does etsiä also mean "to find"?
No, etsiä only means the action of searching or "looking for". If you actually find the person, you would use a completely different verb: löytää (to find).
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