Breakdown of Yleensä minä juon kahvia aamulla.
minä
I
kahvi
coffee
juoda
to drink
aamu
morning
yleensä
generally, in general
Questions & Answers about Yleensä minä juon kahvia aamulla.
The word for "general" is yleinen. Why doesn't this sentence use the adverb yleisesti with the -sti ending?
While yleisesti does exist and means "generally" or "commonly" (like in "it is commonly known"), the word yleensä is a special, everyday word that specifically means "usually" or "as a general rule". When talking about your personal habits, yleensä is the most natural choice.
Why is kahvia in the partitive case here?
Coffee is an uncountable substance. When you are drinking an unspecified amount of it, it takes the partitive case. If you used the accusative case and said juon kahvin, it would mean you are drinking one specific, entire portion of coffee (like finishing a whole cup).
Why does aamulla use the -lla ending instead of an "in" ending?
In Finnish, times of the day usually take the adessive case (-lla / -llä). While English says "in the morning", Finnish logic is closer to "on the morning". You will also see this pattern with illalla (in the evening) and yöllä (at night).
Can I change the word order and put yleensä at the end of the sentence?
Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible. Minä juon kahvia aamulla yleensä is perfectly correct. However, putting yleensä at the very beginning emphasizes right away that you are talking about a general habit.
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