Minä pyydän neuvoa.

I ask for advice.

Breakdown of Minä pyydän neuvoa.

• minä: I
• pyytää: to ask
• neuvo: the advice

Questions & Answers about Minä pyydän neuvoa.

Why is the noun neuvoa in the partitive case instead of being in the nominative?

In Finnish, when a verb like pyytää (“to ask for” or “to request”) is used, the object is often in the partitive case to indicate an incomplete or indefinite action. Here, neuvoa (the partitive form of neuvo) shows that the advice is considered as an unspecified or non-totalized entity—a common requirement with verbs that express requests, partial actions, or ongoing processes.

Why is the subject pronoun Minä explicitly stated even though Finnish usually omits it?

Although Finnish is a pro-drop language where the verb ending clearly indicates the subject, including Minä can add clarity or emphasize who is performing the action. It is often used in situations where the speaker wants to stress their identity or simply ensure there is no ambiguity, especially in formal writing or when learning the language.

How is the verb pyydän formed from its base verb pyytää?

The verb pyytää is conjugated for the first person singular by modifying its stem and adding the suffix -n. Thus, pyytää becomes pyydän. This conjugation reflects standard Finnish verb inflection where subtle changes in the stem often occur, and the ending -n clearly marks the subject as Minä (“I”).

What is the typical word order in this sentence, and can it be altered?

This sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order (Minä – subject, pyydän – verb, neuvoa – object), which is common in Finnish. However, Finnish syntax is quite flexible; the word order can be rearranged to emphasize different elements of the sentence. Despite this flexibility, the basic SVO structure is usually maintained in straightforward statements.

Are there alternative ways to express “I ask for advice” in Finnish?

Yes, you can also omit the subject pronoun if the context makes it clear, resulting in pyydän neuvoa. Finnish often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already indicates who is acting. This shorter form is common in everyday speech, while including Minä might be preferred for emphasis or clarity, particularly in formal or instructional contexts.