Minä menen pysäkille.

I go to the bus stop.

Breakdown of Minä menen pysäkille.

• minä: I
• mennä: to go
• pysäkki: the bus stop

Questions & Answers about Minä menen pysäkille.

Why is Minä included at the beginning? Do I have to include the subject pronoun in Finnish?

You don’t have to. Finnish is a pro-drop language, so the verb ending already tells you the subject.

• Menen pysäkille and Minä menen pysäkille both mean “I’m going to the bus stop.”
• You include Minä only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

What is the meaning of menen, and how is it formed?

Menen is the first person singular present tense of the verb mennä (to go). Its full present-tense conjugation is:

• Minä menen
• Sinä menet
• Hän menee
• Me menemme
• Te menette
• He menevät

What case is pysäkille, and what does it signify?

Pysäkille is pysäkki (bus stop) in the allative case, marked by the suffix -lle. The allative indicates movement toward or onto a surface or place, so pysäkille means “to the bus stop.”

Why use the allative -lle instead of the illative -iin (pysäkkiin)?

• The illative (-iin) means “into” (going inside).
• The allative (-lle) means “onto” or “toward” (going to the location).
  You go to the bus stop (pysäkille), not into it.

Can I change the word order in Minä menen pysäkille?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible because cases mark roles.

• Neutral: Minä menen pysäkille
• Emphasize destination: Pysäkille menen
• Emphasize subject: Menen minä pysäkille
  All convey the same basic meaning.

How do I ask “Where are you going?” in Finnish, and how does this answer fit?

You ask Minne menet? (literally “To where are you going?”), using minne for direction. A natural reply is Menen pysäkille (“I’m going to the bus stop.”).

If I wanted to say “I’m going from the bus stop,” what would I use?

Use the ablative case (-lta) for “from”.

• Pysäkiltä = “from the bus stop”
  So: Menen pysäkiltä = “I’m leaving the bus stop.”

Why isn’t there a separate word for “to” like in English?

Finnish replaces prepositions with cases. Instead of a separate word, you add a case ending:

• pysäkille (to the stop)
• kauppaan (to the store, illative)
• kotiin (to home, illative)

Do other motion verbs use the same case patterns?

Yes. Most verbs of movement use locative cases to show direction:

• Tulen pysäkille. (I’m coming to the bus stop.)
• Kävelen pysäkille. (I walk to the bus stop.)
• Lähden pysäkiltä. (I depart from the bus stop.)