Breakdown of Veljeni toivoi turvallista matkaa minulle.
minä
I
minun
my
matka
the trip
veli
the brother
turvallinen
safe
toivoa
to hope
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Questions & Answers about Veljeni toivoi turvallista matkaa minulle.
What does the ending -ni in veljeni indicate?
The ending -ni is the 1st-person singular possessive suffix. It attaches directly to veli (“brother”) to form “my brother.” You could also say minun veljeni, but Finnish prefers the shorter suffix form.
What is the infinitive of toivoi, and what tense is it?
The infinitive is toivoa (“to hope” or “to wish”). Toivoi is the 3rd-person singular past tense (“he/she/it hoped/wished”).
Why is turvallista matkaa in the partitive case?
Verbs like toivoa take an indefinite or non-completed object in the partitive. Here you’re expressing a wish (“a safe journey”), not describing a completed, specific journey. Thus turvallinen matka (nominative) becomes turvallista matkaa (partitive).
Why does the adjective turvallinen change to turvallista?
Adjectives must agree with the noun in case and number. Since matkaa is partitive singular, turvallinen also takes the partitive singular ending, becoming turvallista.
What case is minulle, and why is it used here?
Minulle is the allative (dative) case of minä (“I”). It marks the beneficiary or recipient of the action. In this sentence, it means “for me” or “to me” – “My brother hoped a safe journey for me.”
Could I use toivottaa instead of toivoa? For example, Veljeni toivotti minulle turvallista matkaa?
Yes. Toivoa (“to hope”) and toivottaa (“to wish” someone something) are different verbs.
- Veljeni toivoi minulle turvallista matkaa = “My brother hoped I would have a safe journey.”
- Veljeni toivotti minulle turvallista matkaa = “My brother wished me a safe journey.”
The nuance is that toivottaa is a direct wish directed at someone, while toivoa expresses hope that something happens.
Is the word order fixed? Could I move minulle or turvallista matkaa elsewhere?
Finnish has relatively free word order. The neutral is S-V-O-beneficiary (Veljeni toivoi minulle turvallista matkaa), but you can rearrange elements to shift emphasis:
- Minulle veljeni toivoi turvallista matkaa (emphasizes “to me”)
- Turvallista matkaa veljeni toivoi minulle (emphasizes “a safe journey”)
The core meaning stays the same.
How would I say “He wished me a good trip” instead?
Use hyvä matka in partitive:
Veljeni toivoi minulle hyvää matkaa.
Here hyvä → hyvää and matka → matkaa to match partitive singular.