Learn Hardcore Finnish: Löysin edullisen pysäköinnin kaupunginosan reunalta. - I found inexpensive parking on the edge of the district.

In Finnish adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in case and number. Here edullinen modifies pysäköinti, which is the direct object in the accusative singular. In many inanimate nouns the accusative singular form is identical to the genitive (–n ending). Therefore pysäköinti becomes pysäköinnin, and the adjective likewise takes edullisen.

Why does pysäköinnin end in -in? What case is it?

pysäköinti (‘parking’) appears as pysäköinnin because it’s the direct object of löysin (‘I found’) and is treated as a complete, definite entity. Finnish often marks such objects with the accusative singular, which for many nouns looks like the genitive. Hence the -in ending.

Why didn’t we use the partitive edullista pysäköintiä instead?

The partitive (–a/–ä) expresses an incomplete or indefinite amount or an ongoing action. But löysin implies you found one specific, complete thing (“affordable parking”). Verbs that denote reaching or obtaining something definite normally take the accusative rather than the partitive, so edullisen pysäköinnin is correct.

What case is kaupunginosan and why is it used here?

kaupunginosa means ‘neighborhood/district’. In kaupunginosan it’s in the genitive singular (–n ending) to show possession: it’s the reuna (‘edge’) of that neighborhood. Together kaupunginosan reuna = ‘the neighborhood’s edge’.

What case is reunalta and what does the suffix -lta mean?

reunalta is the adessive case (–lla/–llä for “on/at”) combined with the ablative suffix (–lta/–ltä) to mean “from.”
• reuna = edge
• reunalla = on the edge
• reunalta = from the edge

How do you pronounce y, ö and ä in this sentence, and where is the stress?

Finnish vowels are pure and unchanging:
• y = like German ü (round lips, say “ee”)
• ö = like German ö (round lips, say “eh”)
• ä = like the ‘a’ in English “cat”
Stress is always on the first syllable of each word. So you get:
LÖY-sin, ED-ull-li-sen, PY-sä-köin-nin, KAU-pung-i-no-san, REU-nal-ta.

Why is there no minä before löysin?

Finnish verb endings carry person and number. löysin already means “I found,” so the subject pronoun minä is superfluous and normally omitted unless you want to emphasize “I” specifically.

How is the noun pysäköinti formed, and what does it refer to here?

pysäköinti is derived from the verb pysäköidä (‘to park’) plus the nominalizing suffix -nti, which creates a noun meaning the action or system of parking. In everyday speech pysäköinti can also refer to the parking opportunity/facility itself (here: “affordable parking”).

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Finnish word order is flexible and can highlight different parts:
• Kaupunginosan reunalta löysin edullisen pysäköinnin. (Emphasize where you found it.)
• Edullisen pysäköinnin löysin kaupunginosan reunalta. (Emphasize the affordable parking itself.)
The basic meaning remains the same, though nuance and focus can shift.