Breakdown of Mistä te nautitte?
te
you (plural/formal)
mistä
where from / what (of/about)
nauttia
to enjoy
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Mistä te nautitte?
Why is the question word mistä used here instead of mitä?
In Finnish, the verb nauttia (to enjoy) always requires the thing being enjoyed to be in the elative case (the -sta/-stä ending). Because of this rule, you have to ask mistä (from what) rather than mitä (what).
Is nautitte an imperative (command) form, since that is what we are learning?
No, nautitte is just the standard present (or past) tense meaning "you enjoy." To make it a plural or formal command, you would use the imperative suffix from this lesson: nauttikaa.
Does te nautitte mean "you enjoy" (present) or "you enjoyed" (past)?
It can be either! For verbs ending in -tia or -ttia like nauttia, the past tense marker -i- blends with the stem. You have to rely on the context of the conversation to know if it is present or past.
Can I leave out the word te?
Yes, you can simply ask Mistä nautitte?. The -tte ending on the verb already makes it clear that the subject is te (you, plural or formal). Including te just adds a little emphasis.