Minä käytän tietokonetta oikein.

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Breakdown of Minä käytän tietokonetta oikein.

• tietokone: the computer
• käyttää: to use
• oikein: correctly

Questions & Answers about Minä käytän tietokonetta oikein.

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

In Finnish, the verb ending already indicates the subject, so including Minä (meaning I) is not always necessary. However, using the pronoun can add emphasis or clarity, particularly for beginners or in contexts where the subject needs to be explicitly stated.

How is the verb käytän formed, and what does it tell us about the subject?

The verb käytän is the first person singular present tense form of the verb käyttää (meaning to use). The ending -n indicates that the subject is I (first person singular), which aligns with the pronoun Minä used in the sentence.

Why is the object tietokonetta in the partitive case rather than the accusative?

In Finnish, the object can take the partitive case to express actions that are ongoing, habitual, or not viewed as complete. In this sentence, tietokonetta (from tietokone, meaning computer) is in the partitive form to indicate that using the computer is seen as an indefinite or habitual action rather than a one-time, complete event.

What role does the adverb oikein play in this sentence?

The adverb oikein means “correctly” or “properly.” It modifies the verb käytän by explaining how the action is performed. Its placement at the end of the sentence is typical in Finnish, where adverbs often come after the main components of the sentence.

How does the word order in Minä käytän tietokonetta oikein compare to a typical English sentence?

The Finnish sentence follows a subject-verb-object pattern—Minä (subject), käytän (verb), tietokonetta (object)—which is similar to the standard English word order (I use the computer). The adverb oikein appears at the end in Finnish, whereas in English, the adverb might more flexibly appear in different positions, though both orders are acceptable.