Learn Hardcore Finnish: Ystävä herää aikaisin.

Finnish does not use articles (like "a" or "the"). Instead, a word such as ystävä ("friend") simply appears in its bare form, and context determines whether it means "a friend" or "the friend."

What form of the verb is herää?

Herää is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb herätä ("to wake up"). So in English, it translates to "he/she/they wake(s) up."

What is the basic meaning of aikaisin?

Aikaisin is an adverb meaning "early." It describes the time when the action takes place—so here, the friend wakes up early.

How do you conjugate herätä in the present tense?

Here’s the conjugation of herätä in the present tense (indicative):
• minä herään (I wake up)
• sinä heräät (you wake up)
• hän / hänet / se herää (he/she/it wakes up)
• me heräämme (we wake up)
• te heräätte (you all wake up)
• he heräävät (they wake up)

Why is ystävä in the nominative case here?

In Finnish, the subject of a sentence typically appears in the nominative case, which for most words is the base form. Since ystävä is the subject ("the friend"), it stays in its simplest form.