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Questions & Answers about Minä korjaan puhelimen huomenna.
Why do we use Minä here? Can it be omitted?
In Finnish, the subject pronoun is optional because the verb ending already shows the person (1st person singular with -n). You include Minä mainly for emphasis or clarity. Without it you can simply say Korjaan puhelimen huomenna.
What does korjaan mean, and what does the -n ending indicate?
Korjaan is the 1st person singular present form of korjata (“to repair/fix”). The -n ending marks that the subject is “I.” Finnish verbs change their endings to show person and number.
Does Finnish have a future tense? How can korjaan mean “I will fix”?
Finnish does not have a separate future tense. The present tense (like korjaan) covers both present and future actions. A time adverb such as huomenna (“tomorrow”) makes it clear you’re talking about the future.
Why does puhelin change to puhelimen? What case is that?
Puhelimen is the singular accusative (often identical in form to the genitive) of puhelin (“phone”). When you speak of completing an action on the entire phone, you use this case instead of the partitive.
When do you use the accusative/genitive (puhelimen) versus the partitive (puhelinta)?
Use accusative/genitive (puhelimen) for a total, completed action on a specific object: “I’ll fix the whole phone.” Use partitive (puhelinta) if the action is incomplete, ongoing, or you refer to an indefinite amount: “I’ll be fixing (some of) the phone.”
Why aren’t there any articles (“a” or “the”) in puhelimen?
Finnish has no definite or indefinite articles. Whether something is “a phone” or “the phone” is inferred from context or added via word order and cases, not by separate words.
What is huomenna, and why does it have the -na ending?
Huomenna means “tomorrow.” It comes from the noun huominen (“tomorrow” as a concept) plus the -na ending (essive case), which turns certain time words into adverbs.
Why is huomenna placed at the end of the sentence here?
Finnish word order is flexible. A common default is Subject-Verb-Object-Time. Placing huomenna at the end simply follows that pattern, but you can move it elsewhere for emphasis.
Can I start the sentence with huomenna, e.g., Huomenna korjaan puhelimen?
Yes. Putting huomenna first shifts focus to the time (“Tomorrow, I’ll fix the phone”) but keeps the meaning the same.
Could I replace puhelimen with sen (“it”)?
Absolutely. If it’s clear you mean the phone, you can say (Minä) korjaan sen huomenna (“I’ll fix it tomorrow”). Sen is the accusative/partitive of se (“it”).
Are there colloquial variants of Minä korjaan puhelimen huomenna, like using mä?
Yes. In spoken Finnish, people often say Mä korjaan puhelimen huomenna. Dropping the pronoun altogether—Korjaan puhelimen huomenna—is also common in both speech and writing.
How would I say the negative form: “I will not fix the phone tomorrow”?
You’d say (Minä) en korjaa puhelinta huomenna. Note that in negative sentences, the object takes the partitive case (puhelinta), even if it’s a total action in the positive version.