Questions & Answers about Meidän täytyy lähteä kohta.
Why does the sentence use meidän instead of me for 'we'?
This is the special rule for expressing obligation in Finnish! When using the verb täytyy (must / have to), the person who has to do the action must be in the genitive case. So, instead of the basic me (we), we use the genitive form meidän.
If the subject is 'we', why doesn't the verb täytyy get a 'we' ending?
Täytyy is a special type of verb that never changes its shape to match the subject. Whether it is 'I must' (minun täytyy) or 'we must' (meidän täytyy), the word täytyy always looks exactly the same.
Why is the verb lähteä in its basic dictionary form?
In a täytyy sentence, the main action verb always stays in its basic infinitive form. Because meidän and täytyy already show who has to do the action, lähteä (to leave) doesn't need to be conjugated into lähdemme (we leave).
Could I use pian instead of kohta here?
Yes, you can! Both kohta and pian mean 'soon' and are often interchangeable. Kohta is extremely common in everyday speech, especially when talking about something happening in just a moment.