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Questions & Answers about Minä ymmärrän asian.
Why does asia have an -n at the end?
This is the genitive-accusative object ending you are currently learning. Because this is an affirmative sentence and you have fully grasped the specific matter, the object (asia) takes the -n ending to show the action is a complete whole.
Doesn't understanding happen continuously? Why does this count as a total completed action?
While understanding is a state of mind, Finnish treats grasping a specific fact or issue (asia) as a complete action. You either get it entirely, or you don't! That is why it takes the total object ending -n here. Note: if you were saying you understand a language or a person, you would use the partitive ending instead.
The dictionary form is ymmärtää. Why does it change to ymmärrän with two R's?
This is a reminder of consonant gradation. When you add the -n ending for "I", it closes the final syllable. This causes the strong consonant combination rt to soften into the weak double consonant rr.
Can I leave out Minä and just say Ymmärrän asian?
Yes, you absolutely can. The -n ending on the verb ymmärrän already tells the listener that "I" am doing the action. Including Minä is optional and just gives a little extra emphasis, as in "I understand the matter."