Breakdown of Me juomme kahvia tässä ravintolassa.
kahvi
the coffee
juoda
to drink
me
we
tässä ravintolassa
in this restaurant
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Questions & Answers about Me juomme kahvia tässä ravintolassa.
Does Finnish have a separate form for the English present continuous (“we are drinking”)?
No. Finnish does not distinguish between simple present and present continuous. The verb form juomme covers both “we drink” and “we are drinking.”
Why is kahvia in the partitive case?
You use the partitive case (ending -a/–ä) when referring to an indefinite or partial quantity. Since you’re drinking some coffee (an unspecified amount), you say kahvia rather than the nominative kahvi.
What would juomme kahvin mean, with kahvin instead?
Kahvin is the accusative/genitive form of kahvi, implying the coffee (a specific, complete unit).
• Juomme kahvin tässä ravintolassa = “We drink the (whole) coffee in this restaurant.” (e.g. a particular pot or cup)
Why does ravintolassa end in -ssa?
The suffix -ssa is the inessive case, meaning “in” or “inside.” So ravintolassa literally means “in the restaurant.” Finnish uses cases like this instead of prepositions.
What is the role of tässä in tässä ravintolassa?
Tässä is the adverb “here” (in this place). When combined with the inessive, tässä ravintolassa means “here in this restaurant,” emphasizing that specific location.
Is the subject Me necessary in Finnish?
No. Finnish is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -mme in juomme already indicates “we.” You can simply say Juomme kahvia tässä ravintolassa and it still means “We drink coffee in this restaurant.”
Can I change the word order of the sentence?
Yes. Case endings make Finnish word order flexible. For example:
• Tässä ravintolassa juomme kahvia. (Here in the restaurant, we drink coffee.)
• Kahvia juomme tässä ravintolassa. (Coffee is what we drink in this restaurant.)
Reordering lets you shift emphasis.
Could I use kahvila instead of ravintola?
Yes—if you want to say “café” instead of “restaurant.”
• Kahvila = café (coffee shop)
• Ravintola = restaurant (full meals)