Breakdown of Kävin kaupassa. Sen jälkeen menin kotiin.
kauppa
shop
mennä
to go
koti
the home
käydä
to visit, to go (and come back)
sen jälkeen
after that
Questions & Answers about Kävin kaupassa. Sen jälkeen menin kotiin.
Why does the first sentence use kaupassa (in the shop) instead of kauppaan (to the shop)?
What is the difference between kävin and menin if both translate to "went"?
Kävin comes from the verb käydä, which implies a round trip or a completed visit (you went to the shop, finished there, and left). Menin comes from mennä, which implies one-way travel to a destination (you went home, and that is where you ended up).
Why is the word se (it/that) written as sen in the phrase sen jälkeen?
The word jälkeen (after) is a postposition, which works like an English preposition but comes after the word it relates to. Most Finnish postpositions require the word before them to be in the genitive case (the -n ending). Therefore, se becomes sen.
Why does koti (home) become kotiin in the second sentence?
Because you are traveling into a destination using the one-way verb mennä, you need the illative case (the "into" case). For the word koti, this case is formed by doubling the last vowel and adding -n, making it kotiin.
Learn Kävin kaupassa. Sen jälkeen menin kotiin and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free