Learn Hardcore Finnish: Minä avaan ulko-oven nyt.

Both. Finnish has one present tense that covers both simple and progressive meanings. Minä avaan ulko-oven nyt can be understood as “I am opening the front door now.” If you want to stress the ongoing process, use the -massa construction:

Olen avaamassa ulko-ovea. = I’m in the middle of opening the front door.

Why does the object end in -n (ulko-oven)?

That’s the genitive form used as the total object (often called “genitive-accusative”). You use it when the action is seen as complete/resulting in a finished state: opening the door fully.

Avaan ulko-oven. (I will get it open; total result)

What’s the difference between ulko-oven and ulko-ovea?

ulko-oven (genitive/accusative): total object, completed result intended/achieved.
- Avaan ulko-oven nyt. (I’ll get it open now.)
ulko-ovea (partitive): partial/ongoing, or under negation.
- Avaan ulko-ovea nyt. (I’m opening it now—process, not necessarily finished.)
- En avaa ulko-ovea nyt. (I’m not opening the front door now.)

Why is there a hyphen in ulko-oven?

Because ulko-ovi is a compound noun (ulko “outer/outside” + ovi “door”), and it’s conventionally written with a hyphen. When you inflect a compound, only the last part takes the case ending, and the hyphen stays:

nominative: ulko-ovi
genitive: ulko-oven
partitive: ulko-ovea
plural: ulko-ovet, etc.

How does ovi become oven?

The noun ovi has a stem ove- in most cases:

nominative: ovi
genitive: oven
partitive: ovea
inessive: ovessa
plural nominative: ovet
So the -i changes to -e in most oblique forms.

Where should nyt go? Is Minä avaan ulko-oven nyt natural?

Yes, it’s fine. nyt is flexible:

Avaan nyt ulko-oven. (very natural)
Nyt avaan ulko-oven. (focus on “now”, often announcing an action)
Ulko-oven avaan nyt. (emphasis on the object)
Position affects emphasis more than correctness.

Can I change the word order more broadly?

Yes. Finnish word order often reflects information structure:

neutral: Avaan ulko-oven nyt.
emphasize the doer: Minä avaan ulko-oven nyt.
contrastive/announcing: Nyt minä avaan ulko-oven.
object focus: Ulko-oven avaan nyt.
All are grammatical; the choice signals what’s new/important.

How do I make a yes/no question?

Attach the clitic -ko/-kö to the first meaningful element:

to the verb (1st person): Avaanko ulko-oven nyt? (Shall I/Am I opening it now?)
impersonal/passive: Avataanko ulko-ovi nyt? (Are we/they opening the front door now?)

How do I say it in the negative?

Use the negative verb + main verb in its base form, and put the object in the partitive:

1st person: En avaa ulko-ovea nyt.
2nd person: Et avaa ulko-ovea nyt.
Negative command: Älä avaa ulko-ovea nyt.

Is there a word for “the” in Finnish?

No. Finnish has no articles. Specificity/definiteness is inferred from context. ulko-oven is naturally understood as “the front door” in a typical home/building context.

How would I say “I’m going to open the front door (soon)”?

Finnish uses the present for near future:

Avaan ulko-oven kohta/nyt.
For explicit intention:
Aion avata ulko-oven. (I intend to open the front door.)

Is there a difference between “to open” and “to be open” in Finnish?

Yes:

action: avata (to open something) → Avaan ulko-oven.
state: auki (open, as an adverb/adjectival) → Ovi on auki. (The door is open.)
adjective avoin exists but is less used for doors; it’s common in abstract senses (e.g., avoin mieli “open mind”).

What would this look like in casual spoken Finnish?

Commonly:

Mä avaan ulko-oven nyt. (minä → mä)
In speech, the final -n in the genitive can be weak or dropped: you may hear ulko-ove(n).
Pronunciation tip: Finnish y in nyt is a front rounded vowel (like French u).