Questions & Answers about Minä kävelen ja ajattelen.
How do I form the verbs kävelen and ajattelen from their dictionary forms?
Both come from Type 3 verbs, which end in two consonants and a vowel (like kävellä and ajatella). To make the verb stem, you remove that ending (like the -llä or -lla) and add an -e-. Then you just add your personal ending. So, kävellä becomes kävele-, and we add -n for "I", making kävelen.
The dictionary form of "to think" is ajatella, with one 't'. Why does ajattelen have two?
This is because of consonant gradation. Unlike Type 1 verbs that usually get "weaker" when conjugated, Type 3 verbs do the opposite: they get "stronger". When you form the stem for ajatella, the single t strengthens into a double tt, which gives us ajattelen.
Could I drop the word minä and just say "Kävelen ja ajattelen"?
Yes, absolutely! Because the verbs end in -n, it is already perfectly clear that the subject is "I". In Finnish, it is very common to drop the pronouns minä (I) and sinä (you).
Do I need to conjugate both verbs, or could I say "kävelen ja ajatella"?
You must conjugate both verbs. Because "I" am doing both actions, both verbs need to match the subject by taking the -n ending. They are two equal actions connected by ja (and).
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