Breakdown of Menemmekö me päiväkotiin vai uimahalliin?
me
we
vai
or (in questions)
mennä
to go
uimahalli
swimming pool
päiväkoti
daycare
Questions & Answers about Menemmekö me päiväkotiin vai uimahalliin?
Why do both päiväkotiin and uimahalliin end in -iin?
This is the illative case, meaning 'to' or 'into'. For base words ending in a short vowel like päiväkoti and uimahalli, you form the illative by doubling that last vowel and adding -n. Because both words end in -i, they become -iin.
Could I use tai instead of vai for the word 'or' here?
No, you must use vai in this sentence. In Finnish, vai is used exclusively in questions when you are asking the listener to choose between two or more options (like the daycare or the swimming pool). Tai is used in regular statements.
How does menemmekö make this a question?
The base verb is menemme (we go). By attaching the question particle -kö to it, you turn the verb into a question. It functions like adding 'Are we' in English. It uses -kö instead of -ko because of vowel harmony: the vowels in menemme are front vowels.
Do we need the word me since menemmekö already means 'are we going'?
Strictly speaking, no. The ending -mme in menemmekö already tells us the subject is 'we'. However, Finns often include the pronoun me in everyday speech for rhythm or mild emphasis.
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