Minä työskentelen toimistossa.

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Breakdown of Minä työskentelen toimistossa.

• -ssa: in
• toimisto: the office
• työskentää: to work

Questions & Answers about Minä työskentelen toimistossa.

What does the subject Minä mean, and why is it included even though Finnish often omits subject pronouns?

Minä means "I". Although Finnish verb conjugations indicate the subject, including Minä can add clarity or emphasis—especially for beginners or in contexts where the speaker wants to stress the subject.

What does the verb työskentelen mean, and how is it conjugated?

Työskentelen is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb työskennellä, which means "to work". The ending -n shows that the subject is "I", making the sentence translate to "I work."

Why is the noun toimisto used in the form toimistossa in this sentence?

The ending -ssa in toimistossa indicates the inessive case, which expresses location. This tells us that the action (working) is taking place in the office.

Why don’t we see articles like "a" or "the" in this sentence, as in English?

Finnish does not use articles. Nouns are presented without words equivalent to "a" or "the", and the meaning is understood from context without needing these extra words.

Is it necessary to always include the subject pronoun Minä in Finnish sentences?

No, it isn’t strictly necessary because the verb form already implies the subject. However, using Minä can be useful for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity, particularly in teaching contexts or when the speaker wants to highlight the subject.