Breakdown of Minun perheeni rakastaa matkustamista.
minun
my
rakastaa
to love
perhe
the family
matkustaminen
traveling
Questions & Answers about Minun perheeni rakastaa matkustamista.
Why are minun and the suffix -ni both used to show my in minun perheeni? Is one of them enough?
Finnish has two ways to mark possession:
- A possessive suffix on the noun: perhe
- -ni → perheeni = my family
- A separate possessive pronoun: minun = my
In standard Finnish you usually choose one. You can say either perheeni rakastaa matkustamista or minun perhe rakastaa matkustamista (the latter is less common in writing). Using both (minun perheeni) is redundant but perfectly acceptable for extra clarity or emphasis.
Why is matkustamista in the partitive case rather than the nominative matkustaminen?
Many Finnish verbs of liking or feeling—rakastaa, pitää, inhota, odottaa—take their object in the partitive when the action is general, ongoing, or unbounded. Here you’re talking about loving traveling in general, not one specific trip. The partitive matkustamista signals “some amount of traveling” rather than a single, completed event.
What is matkustaminen, and how is matkustamista formed?