Learn Finnish: Haluan puhua suomea. - I want to speak Finnish.

This sentence uses a verb chain, which is a major focus of this lesson. When you have a desiderative verb like haluta (to want) followed by another verb, only the first verb is conjugated to match the speaker. The second verb, puhua (to speak), stays in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).

Why is the word for Finnish in the partitive case (suomea) instead of the basic form (suomi)?

The verb puhua (to speak) always requires the language being spoken to be in the partitive case. Therefore, the basic noun suomi becomes suomea.

The dictionary form for 'to want' is haluta. How does it become haluan?

Haluta is a Type 4 verb. To conjugate it, you remove the -ta ending and add an extra vowel that matches the preceding one (in this case, a). Then you add the personal ending -n for 'I'. So: halu- + a + n = haluan.

Why is there no word for 'I' in the Finnish sentence?

In Finnish, the ending of the verb tells you who is doing the action. The -n on the end of haluan already means 'I', so adding minä (I) is optional and usually left out in everyday speech.