Learn Finnish: Milloin kokous alkaa? - When does the meeting begin?

Finnish does not use helper verbs like "do" or "does" to form questions. The question word milloin at the start of the sentence is enough to make it a question, and the main verb alkaa handles the action all by itself.

How does the word order work with milloin?

The word order here matches English perfectly. The question word milloin goes first, followed by the subject kokous (the meeting), and finally the verb alkaa (begins).

Is alkaa both the dictionary form and the conjugated form here?

Yes! The dictionary form (infinitive) is alkaa. Because kokous is an "it" (third-person singular), we take the verb stem alka- and double the final vowel, resulting in alkaa. It just happens to look exactly like the dictionary form.

Does milloin work for any sentence using the word "when"?

No, milloin is specifically a question word. You use it to ask "at what time?" just like in this sentence. If you want to say a statement like "I smile when the meeting begins," Finnish uses a completely different word.