Varaudumme sateeseen.

The dictionary form is varautua, which means to prepare (oneself), to be prepared, to make provisions for.

In varaudumme:

• varau-/varau(d)u- is the verb stem used here
• -mme means we

So varaudumme means we prepare / we are preparing / we get prepared depending on context.

Because Finnish usually puts the subject information into the verb ending.

Here, -mme already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• varaudumme = we prepare
• me varaudumme = we prepare too, but me is added only if you want extra emphasis, contrast, or clarity

In neutral Finnish, the pronoun is often left out because the verb already shows the person.

Because the verb varautua requires its complement in the illative case.

So:

• sade = rain (basic form)
• sateeseen = illative form, used after varautua

With this verb, Finnish does not say the equivalent of prepare rain. Instead, it says something more like prepare for rain.

So the structure is:

• varautua + illative

Examples:

• varautua sateeseen = prepare for rain
• varautua pahimpaan = prepare for the worst

It is the illative singular of sade.

The illative often has the basic idea of into, but with many verbs it has a more abstract meaning. Here it does not literally mean into the rain in an English sense. It is just the case that varautua uses.

For this noun:

• sade = nominative
• sateen = genitive
• sateeseen = illative

So sateeseen is the correct form after varautua.

This is part of how this noun inflects.

The word sade belongs to a group of words where the stem changes in some forms:

• sade
• sateen
• sateeseen

So you cannot just add an ending directly to sade unchanged. You have to learn the inflected stem as part of the noun’s pattern.

This kind of stem change is very common in Finnish, so it is worth getting used to seeing nouns in several forms, not just the dictionary form.

The Finnish present tense can cover several meanings that English separates.

Depending on context, varaudumme can mean:

• we prepare
• we are preparing
• sometimes even we will prepare

In this sentence, it most naturally means something like:

• we are preparing for rain
• we prepare for rain
• we are prepared for rain in some contexts, though that depends on the situation

Finnish often relies on context instead of using a special future tense.

Varautua has a reflexive-like idea: to prepare oneself / to get ready / to make preparations.

That is why it works well in a sentence like this.

Compare:

• valmistaa = to prepare/make something
  
  • this is more about preparing an object
• varautua = to prepare oneself / be ready for something
• varata = to reserve/book, or set aside

So Varaudumme sateeseen is about our own readiness, not about preparing some object.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Varaudumme sateeseen.
• Me varaudumme sateeseen.

The version without me is more neutral and natural in many situations.

Adding me can:

• emphasize the subject
• create contrast
  
  • for example: Me varaudumme sateeseen, mutta he eivät.
    We are preparing for rain, but they are not.

Yes, Finnish word order is fairly flexible, but different orders sound different in emphasis.

The most neutral order is:

• Varaudumme sateeseen.

You could also say:

• Sateeseen varaudumme.

That version is more marked and puts focus on sateeseen, as if you are specifically highlighting rain.

So for a learner, the basic neutral order is best to learn first:

• verb + complement here

Roughly:

VA-rau-dum-me SA-tee-seen

A few useful points:

• Finnish stress is usually on the first syllable of each word
• ee is a long vowel, so sateeseen has a clearly long e
• mm is also long compared with a single m

So try to keep the sounds clean and even:

• varaudumme
• sateeseen

Finnish pronunciation is usually very regular once you know how the letters work.