Älä soita minulle illalla.

Don't call me in the evening.

Breakdown of Älä soita minulle illalla.

• soittaa: to call
• minä: me
• illalla: in the evening
• älä: don’t

Questions & Answers about Älä soita minulle illalla.

What does Älä mean here and how is it different from ei?

Älä is the negative imperative marker used with you (singular) to tell someone not to do something. Unlike ei, which is the basic negative for statements (e.g. en soita “I’m not calling”), älä is only used to form negative commands:
• Älä soita = “Don’t call” (command)
• En soita = “I don’t call” (statement)

How do you form a negative command in Finnish?

To make a negative imperative for you (singular):

1. Use älä
2. Follow with the verb stem (remove -a/ä from the infinitive)
3. Add the appropriate imperative ending (often none for type I verbs)
   Example with soittaa (type I verb):
   • Infinitive: soittaa
   • Stem: soita-
   • Imperative: soita
   • Negative imperative: älä soita

Why is the verb soita used instead of soittaa?

Soittaa is the infinitive (“to call”). To make the positive imperative you:

1. Drop -a/ä → stem soitta- → soita
2. Use that stem as the command form (Second person singular imperative).
   So soita means “call!” and älä soita means “don’t call!”

Why is minulle used, and could we use minua instead?

Minulle is the allative case (“to me”), showing the direction of the call. You call to someone, hence allative -lle.
• soittaa minulle = “to call to me”
Minua is the partitive case and would not work here, because partitive marks partial objects or ongoing actions, not the direction of giving or calling.

What case is illalla and why is it used?

Illalla is the adessive case (time adverb) meaning “in the evening.” Finnish uses cases instead of prepositions to express “in,” “on,” “at,” etc.
• illalla = “in the evening”
You could also use other time cases, but illalla is the standard for “during the evening.”

Does the word order in Älä soita minulle illalla matter?

Finnish word order is relatively flexible, but typical negative commands use:
Älä + Verb + Object + Adverbial.
You could say Älä illalla soita minulle, but that shifts emphasis to illalla (like “It’s especially in the evening you shouldn’t call”). The unmarked, neutral order is Älä soita minulle illalla.

Why is there no explicit “you” (sinä) in the sentence?

In Finnish imperative sentences, the subject sinä (“you”) is usually omitted because it’s understood from the verb form. The negative imperative älä already signals “you.” Adding sinä would be redundant.

Can I use the colloquial form mulle instead of minulle?

Yes. In informal spoken Finnish, mulle is very common:
• Älä soita mulle illalla
This is perfectly natural in conversation, though in formal writing you’d prefer minulle.