Minä menen retkelle.

I go on a trip.

Breakdown of Minä menen retkelle.

• minä: I
• mennä: to go
• retki: the trip

Questions & Answers about Minä menen retkelle.

Why is the subject pronoun minä explicitly written, even though Finnish verbs already indicate the subject?

Finnish verbs are conjugated to show who is performing the action, so the subject pronoun can often be omitted. However, beginners include minä for clarity and emphasis, making it clear that "I" am the one going.

What does the verb form mennen mean, and how is it formed?

Mennen is the first person singular present tense form of the verb mennä, which means "to go." The ending -en signals that the action is performed by "I" (minä), conveying either a habitual or immediate action in the present.

What is the role of the suffix -lle in the word retkelle?

The suffix -lle transforms the noun retki ("trip" or "excursion") into its allative case form. This case indicates direction or destination—essentially showing that the movement is "to" or "onto" a trip.

How does the allative case in Finnish compare to prepositional phrases in English?

Finnish uses case endings like -lle to express directional relationships. Rather than using a separate preposition (such as "to" or "onto" in English), the suffix attaches directly to the noun to indicate movement toward a destination.

How does the sentence structure of "Minä menen retkelle" illustrate Finnish word order, and how flexible is it compared to English?

The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Direction order, which is quite similar to English. However, because Finnish relies on case endings to indicate grammatical roles, the word order is more flexible. This allows speakers to rearrange words for emphasis or style without losing clarity.