Minun täytyy ostaa tietokone maanantaina.

Breakdown of Minun täytyy ostaa tietokone maanantaina.

minä
I
tietokone
computer
ostaa
to buy
täytyä
to have to
maanantai
Monday
minun
my, mine

Questions & Answers about Minun täytyy ostaa tietokone maanantaina.

Why is there a -na at the end of maanantai?
The ending -na or -nä is called the essive case. In this lesson, we use it to say that something happens on a certain day. By adding -na to maanantai (Monday), it becomes maanantaina, which means "on Monday".
Why does the sentence start with minun (my) instead of minä (I)?
The verb täytyy (must) is a special necessity verb. In Finnish, the person who "must" do something is put in the genitive (possession) form. So, instead of minä, you must use minun. You can think of it as "Of me it is necessary to buy..."
Does the verb täytyy change if someone else is buying the computer?
No, täytyy is frozen in this form! Unlike most verbs, it doesn't take personal endings. To change who must do something, you only change the first word (like sinun täytyy for "you must" or hänen täytyy for "he/she must"). The verb täytyy itself stays exactly the same.
Why doesn't the object tietokone have an object ending like -n or -a?
Normally, when you buy a whole object, it gets the -n ending. But sentences with täytyy have a special rule: the whole object drops the -n and stays in its basic dictionary form. That is why it is just tietokone.

Learn Minun täytyy ostaa tietokone maanantaina 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