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Questions & Answers about Minä opiskelen suomea verkossa.
Why is Minä used in this sentence? Can it be omitted?
In Finnish the verb ending -en already shows the subject I, so pronouns like Minä are optional and mostly used for emphasis or clarity. You can simply say Opiskelen suomea verkossa without Minä.
What is the dictionary form of opiskelen?
The infinitive is opiskella (a Type II verb). The present-tense first-person singular form is opiskelen, meaning I study / I am studying.
Why does opiskelen end in -en?
The ending -en marks the first-person singular in Finnish present tense. All “I” forms end in -n, for example luen, menen, puhun.
Why is suomea not suomi?
Suomea is the partitive case of suomi. The partitive (adding -a) is used for ongoing or incomplete actions and unspecified quantities, as in studying Finnish.
Why is verkossa used instead of a preposition like in or online?
Finnish uses cases instead of prepositions. Verkossa is the inessive case of verkko meaning network, formed with -ssa, so it literally means in the network (i.e. online).
Why doesn’t Finnish use articles like the or a?
Finnish has no articles. Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context, so you simply say opiskelen suomea for I study Finnish without adding the or a.
Does opiskelen cover both “I study” and “I am studying”?
Yes. Finnish present tense covers both the simple present and the progressive aspect. Context tells you whether it’s a habitual action (I study) or an ongoing one (I am studying).
Is the word order in Minä opiskelen suomea verkossa fixed?
No. Finnish uses cases to mark grammatical roles, so word order is quite flexible. The neutral SVO order can be rearranged to shift emphasis:
• Verkossa opiskelen suomea (emphasizes online)
• Suomea opiskelen verkossa (emphasizes Finnish)