Breakdown of Käyn hierojalla viikoittain.
käydä
to visit, to go (and come back)
hieroja
masseur
viikoittain
weekly
Questions & Answers about Käyn hierojalla viikoittain.
Why does hieroja take the -lla ending here instead of a 'to' ending?
The verb käydä (to visit / to go and come back) requires static local cases (meaning 'in' or 'at'), not movement cases like 'to'. Because hieroja (masseur) is a person or profession rather than a physical room, we use the adessive ending -lla (at/on) instead of the inessive -ssa (in).
Could I use the verb mennä (to go) in this sentence instead?
You could, but the grammar would change. The verb mennä requires a movement case, so you would say Menen hierojalle (I go to the masseur). Using käydä implies you go there and come back, which is the most natural way to talk about regular appointments in Finnish.
How is the word viikoittain (weekly) formed?
It is built from the noun viikko (week) and the suffix -ittain (or -ittäin), which means 'by the' or 'every'. Adding this suffix causes consonant gradation, so the double kk in viikko weakens to a single k. You can use this same suffix with other time words, like päivittäin (daily).
I recognize the verb hieroa (to massage). How does that relate to hierojalla?
The base noun here is hieroja (masseur). In Finnish, adding the suffix -ja or -jä to a verb stem turns it into a noun for the person who does that action. Here, the noun hieroja is combined with the -lla ending to mean 'at the masseur'.
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