Breakdown of Menemme järven rannalle rauhoittumaan ja tarkkailemaan lintuja.
ja
and
mennä
to go
me
we
-lle
to
järvi
the lake
lintu
the bird
tarkkailla
to observe
ranta
the shore
rauhoittua
to calm down
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Questions & Answers about Menemme järven rannalle rauhoittumaan ja tarkkailemaan lintuja.
What is the base form of menemme, and how is it conjugated here?
The verb menemme comes from mennä (to go). In this sentence it’s in the present tense, first-person plural. The stem is mene- and you add the personal ending -mme to show “we.” So: mene + mme → menemme.
Why is the present tense (menemme) used to talk about something that hasn’t happened yet?
Finnish does not have a separate future tense. The present tense often serves for future actions when the context makes it clear you’re talking about a plan or intention.
Why is it järven rannalle instead of simply rannalle or järvelle?
Here you want “to the shore of the lake.”
- järven is the genitive of järvi (lake), showing possession: “lake’s.”
- ranta (shore) takes the allative -lle to indicate movement toward: rannalle.
Put together: järven rannalle = “to the lake’s shore.”
What case is rannalle, and why is it used?
rannalle is the allative singular. The allative ending -lle expresses direction “onto” or “to” a surface or edge—in this case, the shore.
Why do rauhoittumaan and tarkkailemaan end in -maan?
They are the third infinitive in the illative case (stem + -maan/-mään). After verbs of motion like mennä, this form indicates purpose:
- rauhoittumaan = “in order to calm down/relax”
- tarkkailemaan = “in order to observe”
Why is one mennä enough for both purposes, and why are the two infinitives joined with ja?
Finnish allows you to use a single motion verb (mennä) followed by multiple purpose infinitives in the -maan form. You simply link the purposes with ja (“and”) instead of repeating mennä for each.
Why is lintuja in the partitive plural rather than linnut?
lintuja is the partitive plural of lintu. The partitive is used here because:
- tarkkailla (to observe) takes a partitive object when the action is ongoing or the quantity is indefinite.
- You’re observing some birds, not all birds, so the partitive (-ja ending) is appropriate.
What’s the difference between rauhoittua and rauhoittaa, and why is the intransitive form used?
- rauhoittua is intransitive: “to calm down” or “to become calm.”
- rauhoittaa is transitive: “to calm (someone/something) down.”
Since you want to calm yourselves (i.e. relax), you use rauhoittua, which then becomes rauhoittumaan for the purpose clause.