Learn Hardcore Finnish: Ystävä ottaa koiran mukaan puistoon.

Finnish has no articles. Definiteness (whether something is specific or general) is conveyed by context, word order, case endings, or other markers instead of separate words like a or the.

Why is Ystävä not inflected with any ending?

In Finnish the subject appears in the nominative singular, which most nouns show by using just the base form with no additional ending. Here ystävä is the unmarked subject.

Why is koira in the form koiran rather than koira or koiraa?

Koiran is the genitive singular, used for a definite direct object when the action is seen as complete. The plain koira would be nominative (not marking it as object), and the partitive koiraa would signal an incomplete action or an indefinite/bulk quantity.

How do I decide between the genitive and the partitive case for direct objects?

Use the genitive (–n) when the object is definite/specific and the action is viewed as a whole (complete). Use the partitive (–a/–ä, –ta/–tä, etc.) when the object is indefinite, uncountable, or when the action is ongoing or partial.

What role does mukaan play in this sentence?

Mukaan is an adverb meaning “along” or “with.” In the construction ottaa mukaan, it indicates that something (here, the dog) is taken along to another place.

Could I drop mukaan and say Ystävä ottaa koiran puistoon?

You could, but without mukaan the verb ottaa tends to sound like “grab” or “pick up,” and it’s more natural to use viedä for “take to.” So Ystävä ottaa koiran puistoon is understandable but rather odd; normally you’d say Ystävä vie koiran puistoon or keep ottaa mukaan.

Why is puistoon used here, and what case is it?

Puistoon is the illative singular of puisto, meaning “into the park.” It answers the question minne? (“to where?”).

What’s the difference between the illative (puistoon) and the allative (puistolle)?

Both can translate as “to the park,” but the illative (–oon) emphasizes movement into the interior, while the allative (–lle) can mean movement to the vicinity, surface, or edge of something. For going inside a park, puistoon is the norm.

Why is ottaa mukaan used instead of viedä?

Ottaa mukaan literally means “to take along,” focusing on bringing something from your current location. Viedä simply means “to take” or “carry” something somewhere, focusing on the transport itself. In everyday speech both can work, but ottaa mukaan highlights the idea of “taking along with you.”

Is the word order in Ystävä ottaa koiran mukaan puistoon fixed?

Finnish is fairly flexible. The neutral order is Subject–Verb–Object (as here), but you can front or postpone elements for emphasis. Case endings keep the roles clear, so you might say Puistoon ystävä ottaa koiran mukaan to stress puistoon.