Minä teen keittoa.

I make soup.

Breakdown of Minä teen keittoa.

• minä: I
• tehdä: to make
• keitto: the soup

Questions & Answers about Minä teen keittoa.

What does Minä mean in the sentence?

Minä means "I" in English. It is the first-person singular pronoun and explicitly indicates who is performing the action.

What does teen mean in this context?

Teen is the first-person singular form of the verb tehdä, which means "to do" or "to make." In this sentence, it translates to "I make."

Why is keittoa in the partitive form instead of the nominative?

Keittoa is the partitive form of keitto (meaning "soup"). In Finnish, the partitive case is often used with actions involving making, doing, or consuming food to indicate an incomplete, uncountable, or indefinite amount. This usage implies that the soup is either not a complete, defined whole or the process is ongoing.

Why is the subject pronoun Minä included even though Finnish often drops the subject?

While Finnish verb conjugations make the subject clear—so dropping minä is common—the pronoun is sometimes included for emphasis or clarity, especially for learners. Including minä reinforces who is performing the action and can help avoid confusion when first learning the language.

What tense is used in teen, and what does it imply about the action?

The verb teen is in the present tense. This implies that the action is either currently happening or is a habitual or general activity. In the sentence Minä teen keittoa, it denotes that I am making soup or I make soup as a regular action.