Minä vähennän kahvia, koska kahvi on kallista.

I reduce coffee because coffee is expensive.

Breakdown of Minä vähennän kahvia, koska kahvi on kallista.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• kallis: expensive
• kahvi: the coffee
• koska: because
• vähentää: to reduce

Questions & Answers about Minä vähennän kahvia, koska kahvi on kallista.

What does the verb vähennän mean in this sentence?

It is the first person singular form of the verb vähentää, which means “to reduce” or “to cut back.” Here, it indicates that the speaker is reducing the amount of coffee.

Why is kahvia used instead of the base form kahvi?

The noun kahvia is in the partitive case. In Finnish, when talking about reducing or not completely using up a substance—in this case, coffee—the object takes the partitive form. This shows that the speaker is cutting back on coffee rather than eliminating it entirely.

What is the purpose of the subject pronoun Minä in this sentence?

Minä means “I” in Finnish. Although Finnish verb conjugations usually make the subject clear (so the pronoun can be omitted), including Minä here emphasizes that the action is performed by the speaker and adds clarity, which is especially helpful for language learners.

How does the conjunction koska function within the sentence?

Koska translates to “because.” It introduces a subordinate clause that provides the reason for the speaker’s action—namely, reducing coffee due to its high cost.

Why is the adjective kallista used instead of kallis, and what does its form indicate?

The adjective kallista is the partitive form of kallis (meaning “expensive”). In predicate constructions, particularly when describing qualities like price in a non-absolute way, Finnish often prefers the partitive form. This usage helps convey that the statement is an observation about the general quality of coffee rather than a fixed, complete state.