Learn Hardcore Finnish: Menen pankkiin nostamaan lisää rahaa. - I am going to the bank to withdraw more money.

pankkiin is in the illative case, which expresses movement “into” something. In Finnish, to say “into the bank” you add the suffix -in to pankki (bank), giving pankkiin (“into the bank”).

Why is the verb menen in the present tense if I’m talking about a future action?

Finnish does not have a separate future tense. The present tense form menen (“I go”) covers both present and near‐future actions. Context tells you whether it’s happening now or will happen later.

What is nostamaan, and why isn’t it just nostaa?

nostamaan is the third infinitive in the illative (-maan) form, used to express purpose after verbs of motion.
• nostaa = “to withdraw” (basic infinitive)
• nostamaan = “for withdrawing” (purpose form)
So menen pankkiin nostamaan rahaa literally means “I go into the bank for withdrawing money.”

Why is lisää rahaa in the partitive case?

In Finnish, the partitive case often marks an indefinite or uncounted amount of something, or an incomplete action. Here:
• rahaa (partitive of raha) = “(some) money” – an unspecified quantity you’re going to withdraw
• lisää (also in partitive use) = “more” or “additional”
Together lisää rahaa = “more money” (some additional amount).

Why isn’t there a separate word for “I” (minä) in the sentence?

Finnish verbs conjugate for person and number, so the ending -n in menen already means “I.” A separate pronoun minä (“I”) is optional and usually dropped unless you want to emphasize the subject.

Can I change the word order, for example to Menen nostamaan rahaa pankkiin?

Yes. Finnish allows flexible word order because grammatical roles are shown by cases, not by order. All these are correct, but the neutral order is Menen pankkiin nostamaan rahaa. Moving elements can add emphasis:
• Pankkiin menen… stresses the destination
• Nostamaan rahaa menen pankkiin highlights the purpose

Can you give a literal breakdown of each word?

• Menen = I go / I’m going
• pankkiin = into the bank (illative case)
• nostamaan = for withdrawing (3rd infinitive, purpose)
• lisää = more / additional (partitive use)
• rahaa = money (partitive case)
Literal string: “I go into-the-bank for-withdrawing more money.”