Learn Hardcore Finnish: Opiskelu auttaa minua ymmärtämään suomea paremmin. - Studying helps me understand Finnish better.

Opiskelu is a noun (a gerund-like form) meaning “studying.” In Finnish, you often express activities as nouns derived from verbs. Here Opiskelu is in the nominative case and serves as the subject of the sentence. Using Minä opiskelen (“I study”) would force you into a full subordinate clause (e.g. “Se, että opiskelen, auttaa…”), which is longer and less natural for a simple statement.

Why doesn't Opiskelu have a possessive suffix (e.g., Opiskeluni)?

As written, Opiskelu refers to “studying” in general. If you want to specify “my studying,” you add the possessive suffix -ni: Opiskeluni auttaa minua ymmärtämään suomea paremmin (“My studying helps me understand Finnish better”). Without the suffix, it remains a neutral, generic subject.

Why is minua in the partitive case instead of minä or minut?

The verb auttaa (“to help”) requires its object (the person being helped) in the partitive case. Thus “helps me” is auttaa minua. The nominative minä marks a subject, and minut is the accusative—which auttaa does not use for its object in this construction.

Why is suomea in the partitive case?

The verb ymmärtää (“to understand”) often takes its object in the partitive when the action is incomplete or ongoing. Since you’re talking about improving your understanding of Finnish (an ongoing process), suomi becomes suomea.

What form is ymmärtämään, and why is it used here instead of ymmärtää?

ymmärtämään is the third infinitive (the “-maan/-mään” form). After verbs like auttaa (“to help”), Finnish uses this non-finite form directly—no conjunction needed—to express the action being helped. It corresponds to the English “to understand.”

Why is paremmin used here, and how is it formed?

paremmin is the comparative adverb of hyvin (“well”), meaning “better.” Finnish forms comparative adverbs by adding -mmin to the positive adverb: hyvin → paremmin. Since it modifies the verb ymmärtämään, you need the adverb form, not an adjective.

Why is there no conjunction like että or jotta before ymmärtämään?

Verbs such as auttaa, alkaa (“to begin”), jatkaa (“to continue”), etc., are followed directly by a non-finite infinitive (the third infinitive) without any conjunction. Conjunctions like että (“that”) or jotta (“so that”) introduce clauses with finite verbs, which isn’t the structure used here.