Questions & Answers about Minä kävelen ystävän kanssa.
Why is it ystävän instead of just ystävä?
The word kanssa (with) is a postposition. In Finnish, most postpositions require the word right before them to be in the genitive case. To make the genitive form of ystävä (friend), we add the ending -n, making it ystävän.
Does kanssa always come after the word it goes with?
Yes, kanssa is a postposition, which means it is placed after the word it connects to. While English uses a preposition before the noun ('with a friend'), Finnish puts it after: ystävän kanssa.
Why do both kävelen and ystävän end in -n?
They end in -n for completely different reasons! In kävelen, the -n is the verb ending for minä (I). In ystävän, the -n is the genitive case ending required by the postposition kanssa.
Can I leave out the word Minä in this sentence?
Yes, you can! Because the verb kävelen already has the -n ending, it is completely clear that 'I' am the one walking. Saying Kävelen ystävän kanssa is very common and natural in Finnish.