Learn Hardcore Finnish: Otan sateenvarjon mukaan, sillä sää on epävakaa. - I take an umbrella with me, because the weather is unstable.

Finnish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Otan is the 1st person singular of ottaa “to take,” so it already means “I take.” You can add minä for emphasis: Minä otan, “I (indeed) take.”

What tense is otan? Can it mean “I will take”?

Otan is present tense. Finnish uses the present for near-future plans too, so Otan sateenvarjon mukaan naturally means “I’ll take an umbrella (with me).” If you need to be explicit, you can add a time word: Huomenna otan… “Tomorrow I’ll take…”

Why does sateenvarjon end in -n?

That -n marks a total object (often called “accusative/genitive” form). With a completed, countable thing you fully take, the object is in this form: otan + sateenvarjon. Compare:

Affirmative, total object: Otan sateenvarjon.
Negative, partitive object: En ota sateenvarjoa.

Could I say sateenvarjoa instead of sateenvarjon?

Normally no, not in this meaning. Otan sateenvarjon = you take one whole umbrella. The partitive sateenvarjoa appears in negatives (En ota sateenvarjoa) or special nuances (e.g., ongoing/incomplete action), but with concrete countable objects like an umbrella, the total object is standard in affirmatives.

What does mukaan add? Isn’t “take an umbrella” enough?

Ottaa mukaan is a set phrase “to take along/with (you).” Without it, Otan sateenvarjon simply means “I take an umbrella,” but Otan sateenvarjon mukaan stresses that you’re bringing it along with you.

Where can mukaan go, and what’s mukaani?

Word order is flexible:

Otan sateenvarjon mukaan.
Otan mukaan sateenvarjon. You’ll also see a possessive suffix on the postposition: Otan sateenvarjon mukaani = “I take the umbrella with me.” The suffix (‑ni “my”) is optional in everyday language; the subject is clear from the verb.

What does sillä mean here, and how is it different from koska?

Here sillä is a coordinating conjunction meaning “for/because,” a bit formal/written in tone. Koska also means “because” and is more neutral/conversational:

Otan… , sillä sää on epävakaa. (written/formal)
Otan… , koska sää on epävakaa. (everyday) Colloquially, kun can also mean “because,” though its core meaning is “when.”

Do I need the comma before sillä?

Yes. Sillä links two independent clauses, so Finnish punctuation requires a comma before it: …, sillä …. You also normally place a comma before koska when it starts a subordinate clause: …, koska ….

Could sillä mean “with it” here?

Not in this sentence. Sillä can be the adessive of se (“with it/by it/on it”), but here the placement and comma show it’s the conjunction “for/because.” If it meant “with it,” it would need a clear antecedent and different structure.

What’s the nuance between sää and ilma for “weather”?

Both can mean “weather.” Sää is the default/neutral word. Ilma also means “air” and appears in many idioms: On huono ilma “The weather is bad.” Either works here, but sää is the safest general choice.

Why epävakaa? Could I say epävakainen or something else?

Epävakaa (“unstable/changeable”) is standard and common with sää. Epävakainen is also used and means essentially the same here. Other natural options: vaihteleva (“variable”), arvaamaton (“unpredictable”).

Why is epävakaa in the basic form (not inflected)?

It’s a predicative adjective after olla (“to be”) and agrees with the subject in the nominative: Sää on epävakaa. You’ll also hear partitive predicatives in weather descriptions (e.g., Ilma on kaunista “The weather is beautiful (now)”), but with epävakaa, the nominative is the default.

How do I say “my umbrella” vs. “an umbrella”?

“An umbrella”: (yksi) sateenvarjo; as object here: sateenvarjon.
“My umbrella”: add the possessive suffix or pronoun:
- sateenvarjoni (my umbrella) → Otan sateenvarjoni mukaan.
- Or with a pronoun: Minun sateenvarjoni (more emphatic).

How does negation affect the object?

Negation usually switches the object to the partitive:

Affirmative: Otan sateenvarjon mukaan.
Negative: En ota sateenvarjoa mukaan. With pronouns: Otan sen mukaan → En ota sitä mukaan.

What’s the difference between “take” and “bring” in Finnish here?

ottaa (mukaan) = take (with you).
tuoda = bring (towards the speaker/target): Tuon sateenvarjon.
viedä = take (away to somewhere): Vien sateenvarjon. Imperatives:
Ota sateenvarjo mukaan! Take an umbrella with you!
Tuo sateenvarjo! Bring the umbrella (here)!

How do I turn this into a yes–no question like “Should I take an umbrella (with me)”?

Attach the question clitic -ko/kö to the verb:

Otanko sateenvarjon mukaan? “Should/Shall I take an umbrella (with me)?” Answer: Ota! / Älä ota! (Don’t take!)

Is sateenvarjo one word? What does it literally mean?

It’s one compound word. Literally it’s “rain + shade”: sade (rain) + varjo (shade), with sateen- (genitive linking form) at the start. As an object here it’s sateenvarjon (compound + object -n).

Any tips for pronouncing tricky sounds and lengths?

ä is a front vowel like the “a” in “cat,” but longer if doubled.
Double letters are long: sää [sæː], mukaan [ˈmukɑːn], sillä [ˈsilːæ].
Primary stress is always on the first syllable of each word: Ótan sateénvarjon mukáan, síllä sää on epävakáa.