Learn Hardcore Finnish: Me pidämme pienen tauon ja juomme vettä.

Yes. Finnish verb endings show the person and number, so Pidämme pienen tauon ja juomme vettä is fully grammatical. Keeping Me adds emphasis or clarity.

Why are the verbs pidämme and juomme and not pidän/juon or pitää/juoda?

The ending -mme marks first person plural (we) in the present tense:

pidämme = we take/keep/have
juomme = we drink Finnish present covers both English simple and progressive aspects.

Does pidämme also mean “we like”?

It can, with a different construction: pitää + elative (-sta/-stä). Compare:

Pidämme pienen tauon = We take a short break. (verb + total object)
Pidämme kahvista = We like coffee. (verb + elative)

Why is it pienen tauon and not pieni tauko?

Because it’s a completed, single break = a total object, which for nouns appears as genitive singular (-n) in active clauses. The adjective agrees in case:

nominative: pieni tauko (a small break, as a standalone phrase)
total object (accusative/genitive): pienen tauon after pidämme

Could I say pientä taukoa instead? What would change?

Yes. Pidämme pientä taukoa uses the partitive object, which suggests an ongoing, incomplete, or indeterminate activity: We’re having a bit of a break (right now). In contrast, Pidämme pienen tauon suggests one bounded, completed break.

Why is it vettä and not veden?

Vettä is the partitive singular of vesi and is used for an indefinite amount of a mass noun (some water). Juomme vettä = We drink (some) water. Juomme veden would mean We drink the water (all of it/specific water), which is much less common in this context.

What exactly is the form vettä? It looks irregular.

The base word is vesi (water). Its stem is irregular: ved-. Key forms:

nominative: vesi
genitive: veden
partitive: vettä (note the doubled tt and the front vowel ä)

Could I use lyhyt instead of pieni for “short break”?

Yes. Lyhyt focuses on duration: lyhyen tauon = a short (in time) break. Pieni literally means small but is idiomatic for short in this collocation. Both pienen tauon and lyhyen tauon are natural; lyhyt is a bit more precise about time.

Why no comma before ja?

Finnish normally doesn’t use a comma before ja when linking two clauses with the same subject. Me pidämme pienen tauon ja juomme vettä is the standard punctuation.

Can I change the word order or omit Me?

Yes. Neutral: Pidämme pienen tauon ja juomme vettä. You can front elements for emphasis: Pienen tauon pidämme, ja sitten juomme vettä. Dropping Me is fine because -mme already shows the subject.

Does this sentence refer to the future too?

Yes. Finnish present often covers near-future plans: Pidämme pienen tauon ja juomme vettä can mean We’ll take a short break and drink water (soon).

How do I make it a yes/no question?

Attach -ko/–kö to the first verb: Pidämmekö pienen tauon ja juomme vettä?

How do I say “Let’s take a short break and drink water”?

Use the impersonal/passive imperative, where a total object is nominative: Pidetään pieni tauko ja juodaan vettä. (Note: pieni tauko, not pienen tauon here.)

How do I negate the sentence?

Use the negative auxiliary emme and switch to the partitive object for the first clause: Emme pidä pientä taukoa emmekä juo vettä. The partitive (pientä taukoa, vettä) is required under negation.

What about colloquial Finnish for “we”?

Spoken Finnish often uses the passive for “we”: Me pidetään pieni tauko ja juodaan vettä, or even without me: Pidetään pieni tauko ja juodaan vettä. This is informal but very common.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Stress the first syllable of each word: ME pidämme PIENen TAUon ja JUomme VETtä.
Long consonants matter: pidämme (mm), vettä (tt).
ä is a front vowel (like the a in English “cat”).