Breakdown of Minä ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni.
minä
I
minun
my
soittaa
to call
sisko
the sister
vielä
still
ehtiä
to have time
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Questions & Answers about Minä ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni.
Do I have to include the subject pronoun Minä, or can I drop it?
You can drop it. Ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni is fully grammatical. Keeping Minä adds emphasis or contrast (I, as opposed to someone else, will make it).
What exactly does ehdin mean, and how does ehtiä work?
Ehdin is 1st person singular present of ehtiä = “to have time, to make it (before a deadline).” It’s followed by the basic infinitive (dictionary form) of the next verb: ehdin + soittaa.
Why is it soittaa and not soitan?
Because ehtiä is the finite (conjugated) verb, and the following verb stays in the basic infinitive: ehdin soittaa. Same pattern as with voin soittaa, haluan soittaa, aion soittaa.
What case is siskolleni, and why is it used here?
Siskolleni = allative singular + possessive suffix: sisko + lle + ni = “to my sister.” With the meaning “to call someone,” soittaa takes the person in the allative: soittaa jollekin (“call to someone”).
Do I also need minun if I already have the suffix -ni on siskolleni?
Not required. Siskolleni alone already means “to my sister.” Minun siskolleni is also correct and can add emphasis/clarity. In colloquial speech people often say mun siskolle (dropping the suffix), but that’s informal.
Can I change the word order? Where can vielä go?
Yes, Finnish word order is flexible; placement changes emphasis:
- Neutral: Ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni.
- Emphasizing “still”: Vielä ehdin soittaa siskolleni.
- Emphasizing the recipient: Siskolleni ehdin vielä soittaa.
- Ehdin soittaa siskolleni vielä sounds odd unless followed by a limiter (e.g., …tänään).
Does vielä mean “still” or “yet,” and what happens in negatives?
In affirmative sentences, vielä = “still/yet (there is time).” In negatives, switch to enää: En ehdi enää soittaa siskolleni (“I no longer have time to call my sister”). Compare jo = “already.”
Can this present-tense sentence refer to the future?
Yes. Finnish typically uses the present for near-future time: Ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni (ennen kokousta) = “I’ll still have time to call my sister (before the meeting).”
Isn’t ehdin also the past tense? How do Finns tell present vs. past?
Yes—ehdin can mean “I have time” (present) or “I had time” (preterite). Context words (e.g., eilen, huomenna) disambiguate. For clarity you can use perfect or pluperfect: olen ehtinyt / olin ehtinyt.
Could soittaa here mean “to play (an instrument)”? How do I avoid ambiguity?
Soittaa can mean “to call” or “to play.” The complement tells you which:
- Phone: soittaa + allative → soittaa siskolleni (“call my sister”).
- Music: soittaa + partitive (instrument) → soittaa pianoa (“play the piano”).
What’s the difference between ehdin and voin here?
Ehdin focuses on time (schedule/deadline). Voin is ability/permission. Voin vielä soittaa siskolleni = “I can/may still call,” without implying a time crunch; Ehdin implies you can fit it in.
Is Ehdin vielä soittamaan siskolleni correct?
It’s heard and understood. With the -maan/-mään form it can suggest “I still manage to get around to calling.” The most neutral and standard choice is Ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni.
Could I just say Soitan vielä siskolleni? What changes?
Yes. Soitan vielä siskolleni states your intention (“I’ll still call my sister”). Ehdin vielä soittaa siskolleni comments on your schedule (“I have time to call her”).
Are there colloquial alternatives?
- Spoken style: Mä ehdin vielä soittaa mun siskolle.
- Many speakers use a synonym: keretä/keritä → Mä kerkeen vielä soittaa siskolle. In formal contexts, prefer ehtiä.