Breakdown of Otan lusikan ja alan syödä.
minä
I
ja
and
syödä
to eat
ottaa
to take
lusikka
the spoon
alkaa
to start
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Otan lusikan ja alan syödä.
What does otan mean in this sentence?
Otan is the first‐person singular present tense of ottaa, which means “to take.” So otan translates as “I take.”
Why is lusikan used instead of lusikka?
Lusikan is the accusative singular form of lusikka (“spoon”). In Finnish, when a verb takes a complete, countable object, you usually mark it with -n (the accusative suffix). That tells us you’re taking the whole spoon.
Could we use the partitive case instead (lusikkaa)?
You could say lusikkaa (the partitive), but that normally implies an indefinite or partial object or ongoing action. Here you want the whole object—“take the spoon”—so you use the accusative lusikan, not the partitive lusikkaa.
What role does ja play here? Could it be omitted?
Ja simply means “and”, linking the two actions: taking the spoon AND beginning to eat. You need it to connect those verbs. If you omit ja, you’d have two unrelated clauses.
Why is alan syödä using the infinitive syödä instead of a finite form like syön?
The verb alkaa (“to begin”) is normally followed by the first infinitive (syödä, “to eat”). So you get alan syödä = “I begin to eat.” A finite form (syön) wouldn’t work here, because Finnish requires that structure with alkaa + infinitive.
Why is the verb alkaa in the form alan?
Alan is the first‐person singular present tense of alkaa (“to begin”). Just like otan is “I take,” alan is “I begin.”
Can I say alan syömään instead of alan syödä?
Yes, colloquially many Finns say alan syömään using the -maan (third person infinitive) form after alkaa. Both alan syödä and alan syömään are heard in speech, though alan syödä (the bare infinitive) is more traditional.
Could I rearrange the word order, for example Lusikan otan ja syömään alan?
Finnish has relatively free word order, but the usual, neutral order here is “Otan lusikan ja alan syödä.” Your example is grammatically possible but would sound poetic or emphatic—shifting focus onto “the spoon.”
What’s the difference between alkaa + infinitive and another verb like ryhtyä + -maan?
Both can mean “to begin,” but:
- alkaa + infinitive (first or third infinitive) is more common in everyday speech.
- ryhtyä + -maan (e.g. ryhdyn syömään) is a bit more formal or literary and strictly uses the -maan form.
Could you rephrase the whole sentence more formally?
Yes—one formal alternative is “Aloitan lusikan ottamisen ja syömisen.”
Here aloitan (“I commence”) is followed by two -minen noun forms: ottamisen (“the taking”) and syömisen (“the eating”). This sounds more written or formal than the original.