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Questions & Answers about Tiimi tarvitsee lisää aikaa.
Why doesn't Finnish use an article like the before tiimi?
Finnish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context rather than marked by a separate word.
How do I know that tiimi is the subject, not the object?
Tiimi is in the nominative case (no special ending). In Finnish the nominative marks the subject, whereas objects often take partitive or accusative markings.
Why is aikaa in the partitive case?
When you talk about an indefinite amount or quantity (here “more time”), Finnish uses the partitive case. Also, verbs like tarvita often take partitive objects when the need is not “completed.”
What part of speech is lisää in lisää aikaa?
Here lisää is a quantifier (degree word) meaning “more.” Quantifiers in Finnish typically require the following noun to be in the partitive.
Why does tarvitsee end with -ee?
Tarvita is a type I verb. Its present tense conjugation goes minä tarvitsen, sinä tarvitset, hän tarvitsee. The -ee ending marks 3rd person singular.
Can I use enemmän aikaa instead of lisää aikaa?
Yes. Both enemmän and lisää mean “more” and both take a partitive object when expressing an increased amount.
Is the word order Tiimi tarvitsee lisää aikaa fixed?
Finnish word order is quite flexible. The default is Subject–Verb–Object, but you can move elements (for emphasis or style) without changing the core meaning.