Tällä viikolla menin junalla työpaikalleni, ja se oli nopeaa.

to be

Breakdown of Tällä viikolla menin junalla työpaikalleni, ja se oli nopeaa.

• tämä: this
• minun: my
• ja: and
• mennä: to go
• -llä: on
• se: it
• juna: the train
• työpaikka: the workplace
• -lle: to
• nopea: fast

Questions & Answers about Tällä viikolla menin junalla työpaikalleni, ja se oli nopeaa.

Why are “tällä” and “viikolla” used in “Tällä viikolla,” and what case do they represent?

Both tällä and viikolla are in the adessive case. Tällä is the adessive form of the demonstrative tämä (“this”), and viikolla is the adessive of viikko (“week”). In Finnish, the adessive is often used to express a time frame—in this case, “this week.”

How is the past tense formed in “menin,” and what does it indicate?

“Menin” is the first-person singular past tense form of the verb mennä (“to go”). The past is formed by adding the personal ending -n to the verb stem, so mennin directly translates to “I went” in English.

What does the suffix -lla in “junalla” signify?

The suffix -lla is the adessive case ending attached to juna (“train”), forming junalla. It indicates means or mode of transportation, so junalla means “by train” or “using the train.”

How is the destination expressed in “työpaikalleni,” and why does it take the ending -lleni?

In työpaikalleni, the base noun työpaikka (“workplace”) combines with the allative case ending -lle, which denotes movement toward a place. The personal suffix -ni is then added to indicate “my.” Together, työpaikalleni means “to my workplace.” This merging of the allative ending with a possessive suffix is common in Finnish when giving a destination.

Why is the adjective “nopeaa” in the partitive form in “ja se oli nopeaa”?

In Finnish, predicate adjectives can appear in the partitive form to describe qualities in a non-absolute or indefinite way. Although one might expect a nominative form, nopeaa is in the partitive to express that the trait (being fast) is seen as an impression rather than an absolute state. This use is common in everyday Finnish to convey characteristics in a somewhat qualitative, ongoing sense.

What does the pronoun “se” refer to in the clause “ja se oli nopeaa”?

The pronoun se (“it”) refers back to a previously mentioned element in the context. Here, it most naturally points to the journey—specifically, the experience of traveling by train. Based on the context, se conveys that the train ride (or overall journey) was fast.