Breakdown of Joskus käymme apteekissa hakemassa vitamiineja liikuntaan.
-ssa
in
käydä
to go
joskus
sometimes
hakea
to get
liikunta
the exercise
apteekki
the pharmacy
vitamiini
the vitamin
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Questions & Answers about Joskus käymme apteekissa hakemassa vitamiineja liikuntaan.
Why is apteekissa in the inessive case (-ssa) instead of the illative case (-iin)?
With the verb käydä (“to visit, to go (and come back)”), Finnish uses the inessive case to express a short or habitual visit to a location.
- käymme apteekissa literally “we visit/go into the pharmacy (and come back)”.
If you used mennä (“to go”), you would say mennä apteekkiin (illative) instead.
What is the function of the form hakemassa?
hakemassa is the third infinitive in the inessive case (-massa). When combined with verbs like monta-, tulla- or käy-, it conveys “go/come to do something.”
- käymme apteekissa hakemassa = “we go to the pharmacy in order to fetch/get.”
Why is vitamiineja in the partitive plural?
The partitive plural (-ja/-jä) is used for:
1) Indefinite amounts or “some” of something.
2) Objects of certain verbs (like hakea in this context), when you’re acquiring part of a larger whole.
Hence vitamiineja = “(some) vitamins.”
Why is liikuntaan in the illative case (-an)?
The illative case often indicates movement “into” something or expresses purpose (“for something”).
- liikuntaan here means “for exercise,” showing the intended use of the vitamins.
Could you rephrase this sentence using mennä instead of käydä?
Yes. One possible rephrasing:
- Joskus menemme apteekkiin hakemaan vitamiineja liikuntaa varten.
• apteekkiin (illative with mennä)
• liikuntaa varten (“for exercise” with the postposition varten)
What nuance does käydä apteekissa hakemassa vs. mennä apteekkiin hakemaan carry?
- käymme apteekissa hakemassa suggests a brief or habitual visit (“we sometimes stop by the pharmacy to pick up…”).
- menemme apteekkiin hakemaan is a neutral “we go to the pharmacy to get…” without implying frequency or brevity.
What role does joskus play, and could its position in the sentence change?
joskus means “sometimes” and marks frequency. Finnish word order is fairly flexible:
- Joskus käymme apteekissa… puts emphasis on “sometimes.”
- Käymme joskus apteekissa… is equally correct but shifts focus slightly to the action itself.