Minä menen leipomoon ennen töitä.

I go to the bakery before work.

Breakdown of Minä menen leipomoon ennen töitä.

• minä: I
• mennä: to go
• ennen: before
• työ: the work
• leipomo: the bakery

Questions & Answers about Minä menen leipomoon ennen töitä.

Why is Minä used at the beginning of the sentence? Is it necessary?

In Finnish the verb form menen already tells you who is going (I go). The subject pronoun Minä is therefore optional and only adds emphasis or clarity. You can simply say:
menen leipomoon ennen töitä.
Both versions are correct.

What does menen mean and how is it formed?

Menen is the first‐person singular present tense of mennä (to go). You take the verb stem men- and add the personal ending -en (I). The pattern is:
mennä → men- + ‑en → menen (I go).

Why is leipomoon used instead of leipomo? Which case is that?

Leipomoon is the illative case, used to express motion “into” something. For many words ending in -o, you form the illative singular by doubling the final vowel and adding -n:
leipomo → leipomo → leipomo + o + n → leipomoon
So minä menen leipomoon literally “I go into the bakery.”

What’s the difference between the illative leipomoon and the allative leipomolle?

Illative (-oon) means “into” (entering inside). Allative (-lle) means “onto,” “to,” or “toward the surface/location” without necessarily entering.
• menen leipomoon = I go into the bakery
• menen leipomolle = I go to/toward the bakery (but not necessarily inside)

Why is it ennen töitä and not ennen työ or ennen työtä?

The preposition ennen always takes the partitive case. The noun työ in partitive singular is työtä, and in partitive plural is töitä. When Finns talk about “going to work” in general, they typically use the plural partitive töitä:
ennen töitä = before work (lit. “before works,” meaning before your working time)

Can I change the word order to Ennen töitä menen leipomoon?

Yes. Finnish word order is quite flexible. Putting Ennen töitä first emphasizes the time (“Before work, I go to the bakery”). You could also say:
leipomoon menen ennen töitä.
Each variation slightly shifts the focus but keeps the same basic meaning.