Minä menetän aikaa.

I lose time.

Breakdown of Minä menetän aikaa.

• minä: I
• aika: the time
• menettää: to lose (something)

Questions & Answers about Minä menetän aikaa.

Can minä be left out?

Yes. In Finnish, the verb ending already shows the subject, so Menetän aikaa is a complete sentence by itself.

• menetän = I lose / I am losing
• minä = I

So minä is often omitted unless you want to:

• add emphasis
• make a contrast, as in I am losing time, not someone else
• sound a bit clearer in a textbook-style sentence

In natural Finnish, Menetän aikaa is often more usual than Minä menetän aikaa.

How is menetän formed from the dictionary form menettää?

Menettää is the infinitive, meaning to lose. In a sentence, Finnish usually uses a conjugated form, not the infinitive.

Here, menetän is:

• present tense
• first person singular
• indicative mood

Very roughly:

• dictionary form: menettää
• stem changes: tt weakens to t in this form
• add -n for I

So:

• minä menetän = I lose / I am losing

This is normal Finnish verb conjugation: the verb changes depending on the subject.

Why does menettää change so much when it becomes ?