Learn Hardcore Finnish: Kävelen sillan yli joka aamu. - I walk over the bridge every morning.

In Finnish, when you express movement across something with yli, the thing you’re crossing takes the genitive case. So silta, which means bridge, becomes sillan.

What role does yli play, and why is it after sillan?

yli is a postposition meaning over/across, and unlike English prepositions, it follows its object. So sillan yli means over the bridge. You could also say yli sillan, but it’s more common to place the noun first.

Why is there no pronoun for I in Kävelen?

Finnish verbs are conjugated to include the subject. Kävelen is first person singular present, so I is understood without a separate pronoun.

Why is joka aamu in the nominative case instead of the partitive?

Joka aamu is a frequency expression meaning every morning and stands in the nominative. Recurring time expressions often take the nominative. If you want a more specific or one-off sense, you could use the essive: jokaisena aamuna.

Could you use aamuisin instead of joka aamu?

Yes. Aamuisin is an adverb meaning in the mornings or every morning, so Kävelen sillan yli aamuisin has the same meaning but is more concise.

What's the difference between sillan yli and sillan ali?

yli means over/across, so you go on top of the bridge. ali means under, so sillan ali would mean under the bridge.

Could you say Kävelen siltaa pitkin?

Yes. siltaa pitkin uses the partitive plus pitkin meaning along the bridge, so you walk the length of the bridge rather than crossing from one side to the other.