Breakdown of Kirjoitan tarinaa yhdessä työkaverini kanssa.
minun
my
kanssa
with
yhdessä
together
kirjoittaa
to write
tarina
the story
työkaveri
the coworker
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Questions & Answers about Kirjoitan tarinaa yhdessä työkaverini kanssa.
Why is tarinaa in the partitive case and not tarina?
In Finnish, when you’re talking about doing something to an object in an ongoing, incomplete or indefinite way, that object goes into the partitive case. Writing a story is not a completed single unit yet, so tarina (“story”) becomes tarinaa (partitive) to show partialness or continuation.
How can I recognize the partitive form for a singular noun like tarina?
Many Finnish singular nouns ending in -a form the partitive by doubling the vowel:
- tarina → tarinaa
You’ll see similar patterns: - omena → omenaa (“apple” → “apples” [partitive])
Exceptions exist, but doubling the final vowel is a common rule for this group.
Why isn’t there any word for “the” or “a” before tarinaa?
Finnish has no articles. Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite. Both “a story” and “the story” simply appear as tarinaa (partitive) or tarina (nominative), depending on aspect and case.
What does yhdessä mean, and why is it used with kanssa?
yhdessä means “together.” kanssa means “with.”
- kanssa attaches to a noun to indicate accompaniment (with whom).
- yhdessä adds the nuance “jointly” or “in cooperation.”
Together they stress that you and your coworker write as a team.
Can I drop yhdessä or kanssa and still say “I write a story with my coworker”?
- You can drop yhdessä if context already implies collaboration:
Kirjoitan tarinaa työkaverini kanssa. - You cannot drop kanssa if you want “with.” Without it you lose the “with” meaning.
Why is työkaverini one word and what does the -ni ending do?
työkaveri means “coworker.” Finnish uses possessive suffixes instead of separate words like “my.” Attaching -ni (“my”) gives työkaverini = “my coworker.”
Why does kanssa require the genitive form työkaverini instead of, say, the inessive?
kanssa is a postposition that always takes the genitive case of the preceding noun. That’s why you write työkaverini kanssa (“with my coworker”), not työkaverissa or any other case.
Why isn’t Minä (“I”) written at the start of the sentence?
In Finnish, subject pronouns are optional because the verb ending already indicates person and number. kirjoitan ends in -n, marking first-person singular. You can include Minä for emphasis, but it’s not required.