Mies puhuu englantia.

The man speaks English.

Breakdown of Mies puhuu englantia.

• mies: the man
• puhua: to speak
• englanti: English

Questions & Answers about Mies puhuu englantia.

Why does Finnish use the partitive form "englantia" instead of the basic form "englanti"?

In Finnish, when referring to languages (or many other “indefinite” objects), the partitive case is used. Saying englantia (partitive) carries the sense of “some English” or “English in general.” The basic form englanti (nominative) can be used in other contexts (e.g., Englanti as the name of the country England), but when speaking about language skills, Finnish typically uses the partitive.

Is "Mies puhuu englantia" a complete sentence in Finnish?

Yes, it is. Finnish does not require an article like “the” or “a” in English. Mies is the subject in the nominative case (“man”), puhuu is the verb (“speaks”), and englantia is the object in the partitive case (“English”). Even though it has fewer words than English would typically have, it is still a fully formed sentence in Finnish.

Why is the verb "puhuu" used here, instead of forms like "puhun" or "puhut"?

Finnish verbs change form based on the subject and tense. Puhua is the infinitive (“to speak”). For the third-person singular (he/she/it or the man), the form is puhuu. If you were talking about “I speak,” you’d say minä puhun, and for “you speak,” you’d use sinä puhut.

Does Finnish have separate words for "a man" vs. "the man"?

No, Finnish does not have separate articles like English does. The word mies can mean “a man” or “the man,” depending on context. The language relies on grammatical cases and context rather than articles to convey specificity.

How would I say the same sentence if I were referring to myself speaking English?

You would say Minä puhun englantia (or just Puhun englantia, since the pronoun is often dropped when it’s clear who you’re talking about). The verb form changes to puhun because it is first-person singular.