Breakdown of Aion lähteä lenkille aamulla.
minä
I
-llä
on
aamu
the morning
aikoa
to intend
lähteä lenkille
to go for a run
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Questions & Answers about Aion lähteä lenkille aamulla.
What exactly does "Aion" mean here? Is it a future tense?
Finnish has no separate future tense. Aion is the present tense of the verb aikoa “to intend, to plan,” so it means “I intend to / I’m going to.” The futurity comes from context (like the time word aamulla, “in the morning”) and from the meaning of aikoa itself.
How do you conjugate and negate "aikoa" in the present?
Present affirmative:
- minä aion
- sinä aiot
- hän/se aikoo
- me aiomme
- te aiotte
- he aikovat
Present negative (with the negative verb + the base form aio):
- minä en aio
- sinä et aio
- hän ei aio
- me emme aio
- te ette aio
- he eivät aio
Why is it "lähteä" (infinitive) and not "lähden"?
After aikoa, Finnish uses the 1st infinitive (the dictionary form): aion lähteä = “I intend to leave.” If you say Lähden lenkille aamulla, that’s a plain present meaning “I (will) leave/go for a run in the morning” without explicitly stating intention.
What’s the difference between "lähteä" and "mennä" here?
- lähteä = to set off, to depart (focus on the act of leaving)
- mennä = to go (focus on moving to/into something)
Both are natural with this noun: lähteä/mennä lenkille “go for a run/jog.” Lähteä lenkille is a very common collocation; mennä lenkille is also perfectly fine.
What case is "lenkille" and why does it end with -lle?
Lenkille is the allative singular of lenkki (“a run/jog/loop”). The allative (-lle) often marks “to/onto/for,” and with many activity nouns it means “go for [activity]”:
- mennä kahville (go for coffee)
- mennä lounaalle (go for lunch)
- lähteä ostoksille (go shopping) So lähteä lenkille = “go for a run/jog.”
Does "lenkille" always mean running, or could it be a walk?
It’s general: lenkki is an “exercise outing” (a loop) and can be a jog, brisk walk, run, or similar. If you want to be specific:
- juoksulenkille (for a run)
- kävelylle (for a walk)
How do I say “I’m on a run” and “I came from a run”?
Use the -lla/-lta cases that pair with -lle:
- “I’m on a run” = Olen lenkillä.
- “I came from a run” = Tulin lenkiltä.
Why is it "aamulla" and not "aamussa" for “in the morning”?
Times of day typically use the adessive (-lla): aamulla (in the morning), päivällä, illalla, yöllä. So aamulla is the idiomatic way to say “in the morning.”
Can I move "aamulla" to the front? Does word order change the meaning?
Yes, Finnish word order is flexible.
- Aion lähteä lenkille aamulla. (neutral)
- Aamulla aion lähteä lenkille. (emphasizes the time)
- Aion aamulla lähteä lenkille. (also fine; emphasizes morning timing) Meaning stays the same; placement shifts emphasis/rhythm.
How do I say this as a habit: “I go for a run in the mornings”?
Use aamuisin (“in the mornings”) and often käydä for habitual short outings:
- Aamuisin käyn lenkillä. You can also say Käyn aamuisin lenkillä or Käyn usein aamulla lenkillä (often in the morning).
Is "Aion mennä lenkille aamulla" also correct?
Yes. Aion mennä lenkille aamulla and Aion lähteä lenkille aamulla are both correct. Lähteä lenkille is perhaps more idiomatic in some contexts, but mennä lenkille is very common too.
How can I say this without using "aion"?
Several natural options:
- Lähden lenkille aamulla. (I’ll leave/go for a run in the morning.)
- Menen lenkille aamulla.
- Aamulla olen lähdössä lenkille. (I’m about to leave for a run in the morning; “be in the process of leaving.”)
Pronunciation tips for the sentence?
- aion: two syllables, ai-on; ai like “eye.”
- lähteä: three syllables, läh-te-ä; ä like the “a” in “cat”; pronounce both vowels in -eä separately.
- lenkille: len-kil-le; the nk is pronounced like “ngk,” and ll is a long L.
- aamulla: aa-mul-la; aa is a long a, ll is long L. Every vowel is clearly pronounced; length (double letters) matters.
How do I say “tomorrow morning”?
Use huomenna aamulla:
- Aion lähteä lenkille huomenna aamulla.
- Or fronted for emphasis: Huomenna aamulla aion lähteä lenkille.
Could I use the verb "lenkkeillä" instead?
Yes:
- Aion lenkkeillä aamulla. (I intend to jog in the morning.) You can also use the -maan/-mään form with a motion verb:
- Aion lähteä lenkkeilemään aamulla. (I intend to set off to go jogging.)
Why not "lenkkiin"? What’s wrong with that?
Lenkkiin is the illative (“into a loop”), which doesn’t express “go for a run.” The idiomatic choice is the allative lenkille for “go for [an activity].”
What’s the difference between "käydä lenkillä" and "mennä/lähteä lenkille"?
- käydä lenkillä highlights the outing as a visit/occurrence and is common for habits: Käyn lenkillä aamuisin.
- mennä/lähteä lenkille focuses on the act of going/setting off: Lähden/Menen lenkille nyt. Both are natural; context decides which feels better.