Minä odotan bussia pysäkillä.

I wait for the bus at the bus stop.

Breakdown of Minä odotan bussia pysäkillä.

• minä: I
• odottaa: to wait for
• bussi: the bus
• -llä: at
• pysäkki: the bus stop

Questions & Answers about Minä odotan bussia pysäkillä.

Why is Minä used here? Can I drop it?

In Finnish the verb ending -n in odotan already tells you the subject is I (first person singular). Including Minä is optional and adds emphasis or clarity. You can perfectly say “Odotan bussia pysäkillä.” and it still means “I’m waiting for a bus at the stop.”

What does odotan mean and how is it formed?

Odotan is the first person singular present tense of the verb odottaa (to wait). You take the stem odota- and add -n to mark I:
• odota- (stem) + ‑n (1st person singular) → odotan = “I wait” / “I’m waiting.”

Why isn’t there an English-style preposition like “for” before bussia?

Finnish doesn’t use separate prepositions as English does. Instead, it uses noun cases. Here, the partitive case ending -a on bussi (→ bussia) carries the meaning of English “for” in this context.

Why is bussi in the partitive case (bussia) instead of the nominative (bussi)?

With many verbs—especially those describing ongoing or incomplete actions like odottaa—the direct object goes into the partitive case. Bussia signals that you’re in the midst of waiting (the action isn’t “completed” or finite).

Why is pysäkillä spelled with -llä and what does that ending indicate?

The ending -llä marks the adessive case, which expresses external location: “at” or “on.” So pysäkki (stop) + -llä = pysäkillä, meaning “at the stop.”

What’s the difference between the adessive case (-lla/-llä) and the inessive case (-ssa/-ssä)?

• Inessive (-ssa/-ssä) = “in” something (internal location). Example: talossa = “in the house.”
• Adessive (-lla/-llä) = “on/at” something (external location) or possession. Example: talolla = “at the house” (on its grounds).

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes. Finnish has a flexible word order thanks to its cases. The neutral order is Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial:
Minä odotan bussia pysäkillä.
But you can shift elements for emphasis, for example:
Pysäkillä odotan bussia. (emphasizes the location)
Odotan bussia pysäkillä. (focuses on the action of waiting)