Minä syön leipää.

I eat bread.

Breakdown of Minä syön leipää.

• minä: I
• syödä: to eat
• leipä: the bread

Questions & Answers about Minä syön leipää.

Why is the word for "bread" in the partitive case (leipää) instead of a basic form like leipä?

In Finnish, the partitive case often indicates an indefinite or uncountable quantity, something that isn't fully completed or specified. When you say leipää, you're referring to "some bread" (an unspecified amount). If you used leivän, it would sound like you’re talking about one whole piece or loaf of bread, emphasizing a complete object.

Do I always have to use the personal pronoun minä, or can I just say syön leipää?

You can drop minä because the personal ending on the verb (-n in syön) already indicates "I." However, in more formal settings or when you want to emphasize the subject, saying minä syön leipää is fine. In everyday conversation, Finnish speakers often omit minä because the verb form makes it clear who is doing the action.

Why does the verb end with -n (syön) instead of -n in English or something else?

Finnish conjugates its verbs according to person and number. The first-person singular form of syödä ("to eat") is syön, where the -n is the personal ending that corresponds to "I". Each person/number combination has its own specific ending.

Is there any difference in meaning between Minä syön leipää and Minä syön leivän?

Using leipää (partitive) focuses on an unspecified amount of bread or the action in progress. Using leivän (genitive/accusative form) implies a whole or specific piece of bread is being eaten, often suggesting the action is completed or there's a defined quantity involved.

How do I form a yes/no question from this sentence?

To ask a question, you can add the particle -kö/-kö (depending on vowel harmony) to the verb. For this example, it becomes Syönkö leipää?. If you still include minä, it would be Syönkö minä leipää? which sounds slightly more formal or emphatic.