Breakdown of Olemme postissa lähettämässä pakettia.
olla
to be
lähettää
to send
paketti
the package
posti
post office
Questions & Answers about Olemme postissa lähettämässä pakettia.
How does the -mässä ending work in lähettämässä?
This is the third infinitive inessive form, which is the focus of this lesson. To say you are currently in the middle of doing something, Finnish uses the verb olla (to be) plus a verb ending in -massa or -mässä. So, olemme lähettämässä translates to "we are (currently) sending" or literally "we are in the act of sending."
Why is the ending -mässä and not -massa?
This is due to vowel harmony. The root verb is lähettää, which contains the front vowels ä and e. Because of the ä, any endings attached to this word must also use front vowels. That is why you use -mässä instead of -massa.
Why is the object pakettia in the partitive case instead of being just paketti?
In Finnish, the case of the object often depends on whether the action is complete or ongoing. Because olemme lähettämässä indicates that the action is currently happening and not yet finished, the object must take the partitive case. Thus, paketti becomes pakettia.
Why do we use postissa (in the post office) when the English translation says "at the post office"?
The ending -ssa is the inessive case, meaning "in" or "inside." While English frequently uses "at" to describe being at a business or public building, Finnish usually prefers the "inside" case to show you are physically indoors at that location.
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