Nykyään opiskelen suomea verkossa.

Nowadays I study Finnish online.

Breakdown of Nykyään opiskelen suomea verkossa.

• minä: I
• suomi: Finnish
• -ssa: in
• opiskella: to study
• nykyään: nowadays
• verkko: the net

Questions & Answers about Nykyään opiskelen suomea verkossa.

Do I need to include the pronoun “minä” in this sentence?

No. The ending -n in opiskelen already marks “I.” Adding minä is optional and adds emphasis or contrast: Nykyään minä opiskelen… (“It’s me who studies…”).

What tense is “opiskelen”? Does Finnish distinguish “I study” vs “I am studying”?

Opiskelen is present tense and covers both simple and progressive meanings. Finnish has no separate continuous form, so it can mean “I study” or “I am studying,” whichever fits the context.

Why is it “suomea” and not “suomi”?

Suomea is the partitive singular of suomi. The verb opiskella (to study) normally takes its object in the partitive because the activity is open‑ended/incomplete. You can also say suomen kieltä (“the Finnish language,” genitive + partitive), but plain suomea is the most common.

Can I say “opiskelen suomen” or “opiskelen suomen kieltä”?

• Opiskelen suomen (genitive alone) is not idiomatic.
• Opiskelen suomen kieltä is correct but longer/more formal than opiskelen suomea. Both mean the same thing.

Why isn’t “Finnish” capitalized in “suomea”?

In Finnish, names of languages (and nationalities, days, months) are written in lowercase unless they start a sentence. So suomi/suomea is not capitalized.

What case is “verkossa,” and why is it used for “online”?

Verkossa is in the inessive case (-ssa/-ssä), meaning “in.” Idiomatically, verkossa/netissä means “online” (“in the net”). Don’t use verkolla (“on a net”) here—that’s for physical surfaces.

Why does “verkko” become “verkossa”? What happened to the double k?

Consonant gradation. Many Finnish words alternate between a strong and weak grade when you add case endings. Here, kk → k:

• nominative: verkko
• inessive: stem weakens to verko-
  • -ssa → verkossa

Are there natural alternatives to “verkossa”?

Yes:

• netissä (very common, neutral/informal)
• internetissä (more formal/spelled-out)
• etänä = “remotely” (not specifically online, but often implies it: Opiskelen suomea etänä)

Where can “nykyään” go in the sentence?

It’s flexible. Common options:

• Nykyään opiskelen suomea verkossa. (time frame up front)
• Opiskelen nykyään suomea verkossa.
• Opiskelen suomea verkossa nykyään. (end-focus on “nowadays”) All are correct; the first two are most natural.

What’s the nuance difference between “nykyään,” “nyt,” “tällä hetkellä,” and “nykyisin”?

• nykyään = nowadays/these days (compared to before)
• nykyisin = a near-synonym of nykyään (slightly more formal/literary)
• nyt = now (this very moment or general “now”)
• tällä hetkellä = at the moment/right now (emphasizes the current period)

How do I negate this sentence?

Use the negative verb + the connegative stem:

• Nykyään en opiskele suomea verkossa. = Nowadays I don’t study Finnish online. If you mean “no longer,” use en enää:
• En enää opiskele suomea verkossa. = I no longer study Finnish online.

How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Attach the clitic -ko/-kö to the first element (usually the verb). To ask someone else:

• Opiskeletko suomea verkossa nykyään? = Do you study Finnish online nowadays? Answer: Kyllä/Joo, opiskelen. or En opiskele.

How does “opiskella” conjugate in the present?

Type 3 verb. Present affirmative:

• minä opiskelen
• sinä opiskelet
• hän opiskelee
• me opiskelemme
• te opiskelette
• he opiskelevat Negative uses the connegative stem opiskele (e.g., en opiskele, ei opiskele, eivät opiskele).

Could I use “opetella,” “oppia,” or “lukea” instead of “opiskella”?

• opetella = to learn/practice a skill (often with -maan: opetella puhumaan suomea)
• oppia = to learn/come to know (result): Opin suomea (“I learn/learned Finnish”)
• lukea = to read; also “to study (a subject)” in academic contexts For general “I study Finnish,” opiskella is the safest default.

Why are there no words for “a/the” here?

Finnish has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context, word order, or case. Suomea isn’t “a Finnish” or “the Finnish”; it’s just “Finnish (as a language)” in the partitive.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky parts?

• Stress the first syllable: NY-ky-ään o-PIS-ke-len SUO-me-a VER-kos-sa.
• y is a front rounded vowel (like French u/German ü).
• ä is a front a (like the a in “cat” but pure), and ää is long.
• uo in suo is a diphthong; suomea has three syllables: suo-me-a.
• Double consonants (ss in verkossa) are held longer than single ones.