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Questions & Answers about Lopulta osaan puhua suomea.
What does lopulta mean in this sentence?
Lopulta is an adverb meaning “finally,” “in the end” or “at last.” Here it signals that after some process or effort, the speaker has reached the point of being able to speak Finnish.
Why is lopulta placed at the beginning of the sentence? Could it go elsewhere?
Fronting lopulta puts emphasis on the idea of “in the end.” Finnish word order is flexible, so you could also say Osaan puhua suomea lopulta or Osaan lopulta puhua suomea, but putting the time adverb first is the most natural way to stress that it happened as the final outcome.
What is the verb osaan, and how does it function here?
Osaan is the first-person singular present form of the verb osata, which is a modal-like verb meaning “to be able to” or “to know how to.” So osaan = “I can” or “I know how to.”
Why is the main verb puhua in the infinitive form instead of a finite form like puhun?
After modal verbs like osata, Finnish uses the so-called weak infinitive for the action verb. You say osaan + puhua, not osaan puhun, because osaat puhua literally means “you know how to speak,” not “you speak.”
Why is suomea in the partitive case, and not suomi (nominative)?
When you express speaking a language in Finnish, the language name takes the partitive: puhua suomea (“to speak Finnish”). More generally, objects of many verbs appear in the partitive when they denote an ongoing or incomplete action.
Why is there no subject pronoun minä before osaan?
Finnish is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -n in osaan already tells you the subject is I. You can add minä for emphasis or clarity (Minä osaan puhua suomea), but it’s not required.
Are there other ways to say “finally” in Finnish besides lopulta?
Yes. Common synonyms are vihdoin and viimeinkin. For example: Vihdoin osaan puhua suomea or Viimeinkin osaan puhua suomea. Vihdoin often conveys relief, while lopulta is more neutral.
How much can I change the word order without altering the meaning?
Fairly much. Finnish relies on inflection, not position, for core meaning. Moving lopulta after the verb or object changes emphasis but not basic sense:
- Osaan puhua suomea lopulta. (less common word order)
- Osaan lopulta puhua suomea. (emphasis on “finally” as part of the ability)
All variations mean “In the end, I’m able to speak Finnish.”