Learn Finnish: Mihin aikaan tapaaminen loppuu tänään? - What time does the meeting end today?

Mihin aikaan literally translates to 'into what time'. Both the question word mikä (what) and the noun aika (time) are put into the illative case (the 'into' case), which usually ends in a doubled vowel and -n. In Finnish, you use this 'into' form to ask at what time an event happens or starts.

Is tapaaminen related to the verb for 'to meet'?

Yes! It comes from the verb tavata (to meet). In Finnish, you can often turn a verb into a noun by using the -minen ending. It works exactly like the '-ing' ending in English, turning the action of 'meet' into the noun 'meeting'.

I've also seen the verb lopettaa for 'to end'. Why is loppuu used here?

Finnish has two different verbs for ending things, and they are easy to mix up! You use loppua (here as the 3rd-person form loppuu) when something ends on its own, like a meeting or a movie. You use lopettaa when a person actively stops doing something, like 'I end the meeting'.

Can I put the word tänään (today) at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, you can! Finnish word order is quite flexible. You could say Tänään mihin aikaan tapaaminen loppuu? without changing the meaning. Putting time words like tänään at the very end or the very beginning is perfectly natural.