Word
Mekin harrastamme urheilua, kun meillä on aikaa.
Meaning
We also do sports when we have time.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Mekin harrastamme urheilua, kun meillä on aikaa.
olla
to be
me
we
aika
time (concept, duration)
kun
when (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Mekin harrastamme urheilua, kun meillä on aikaa.
Why is the word for "also" (-kin) attached to me (mekin) instead of the verb?
The suffix -kin attaches directly to the specific word it emphasizes. By adding it to me (we), the sentence means "We also do sports" (just like you or someone else does). If you attached it to the verb instead (harrastammekin), it would mean "We also do sports" (in addition to just watching them, for example).
Why is the word for sports in the partitive form, urheilua?
Why is the verb on used in meillä on aikaa instead of olemme (we are)?
As a quick refresher, Finnish doesn't have a direct verb for "to have". Instead, you use the pronoun in the -llä/-lla form (meillä = on/at us) followed by the 3rd-person singular verb on (is). It literally translates to "at us is time".
Why is aika (time) also in the partitive case (aikaa)?
In "have" structures like meillä on, abstract or uncountable things (like time, courage, or coffee) must be put in the partitive case. It implies we have "some" time.