Learn Hardcore Finnish: Pankissa tarkistan myös säästöni.

The inessive case (-ssa) expresses a static location “in” something. Here pankissa means “in the bank” (i.e. inside the bank’s premises), not movement into it.

What does tarkistan mean, and why is it in this form?

Tarkistan is the first person singular present tense of tarkistaa (“to check”). So tarkistan literally means “I check.”

How does myös function in the sentence, and why is it placed where it is?

Myös means “also” or “too.” It’s placed immediately before the element it modifies (here säästöni) to stress that checking my savings is an additional action.

Why is säästöni written as one word, and what are its parts?

Säästöni combines säästö (“saving/savings”) with the possessive suffix -ni (first person singular). Together they mean “my saving” or “my savings.”

In English we say “my savings” (plural). Why is säästöni singular?

In Finnish, säästö can refer to your total savings as a concept in the singular. The possessive suffix -ni makes it clear you're talking about your own amount saved.

There’s no article in “Pankissa tarkistan myös säästöni.” How do we know if it’s “the bank” or “a bank”?

Finnish doesn’t use articles. Context tells you whether it’s a specific bank (“the bank where I have my account”) or just “a bank.” If needed, you could clarify with words like tässä pankissa (“in this bank”).

Could I change the word order, for example, “Tarkistan myös säästöni pankissa”? Would the meaning change?

Yes, Finnish word order is flexible. Moving pankissa to the end shifts the emphasis slightly (now the focus is on checking your savings, with “in the bank” as extra info) but the basic meaning stays the same.

Why not use pankkiin (“into the bank”) instead of pankissa?

Pankkiin (illative case) means “into the bank” (movement). Pankissa (inessive) means “in the bank” (location). Since you are checking something while you are already inside, you use pankissa.