Minä tulen vasta illalla.

I will come only in the evening.

Breakdown of Minä tulen vasta illalla.

• minä: I
• ilta: the evening
• tulla: to come
• -lla: in
• vasta: only

Questions & Answers about Minä tulen vasta illalla.

What does the word bolded as vasta add to the meaning?

• vasta means not until/only later than expected. It sets a time threshold: nothing happens before that point.
• Compare:
  • Tulen vasta illalla. = I won’t come until the evening.
  • Tulen vain illalla. = I come only in the evening (as the only time), without the nuance of lateness.
  • Tulin juuri. = I just arrived (just now). Here juuri means just/exactly, not “not until.”

Why is tulen (present tense) used for the future?

Finnish has no separate future tense. The present indicative covers both present and future, and time adverbials (like illalla) clarify when it happens. So Minä tulen often means I will come when paired with a future time expression.

Can I drop the pronoun Minä?

Yes. Finnish normally omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person.

• Neutral: Tulen vasta illalla.
• With emphasis/contrast on the subject: Minä tulen vasta illalla (as opposed to someone else).

How flexible is the word order, and does it change the nuance?

All of these are grammatical but differ in emphasis:

• Tulen vasta illalla. Neutral; the most common.
• Vasta illalla tulen. Strong emphasis on not until evening.
• Minä tulen vasta illalla. Emphasis on I.
• Illalla vasta tulen. Also emphasizes the evening as the earliest time. Rule of thumb: place vasta right before what it limits (time, number, etc.).

What case is illalla, and how is it formed?

• illalla is the adessive case (ending -lla/-llä) meaning at/in (time).
• Base noun: ilta (evening). With adessive: illalla. The stem shows consonant gradation: ilta → illa-
  • -lla → illalla.
• Similar time expressions: aamulla (in the morning), päivällä (in the daytime), yöllä (at night).

How do I say I won’t come until the evening in a negative form?

Use a negative with a before-phrase:

• En tule ennen iltaa. = I won’t come before the evening. This conveys the same idea as Tulen vasta illalla, but says it negatively rather than with vasta.

What’s the difference between illalla and illaksi?

• illalla (adessive): at/in the evening (time when).
• illaksi (translative): for/by the evening (deadline/result time).
  Examples:
• Tulen illalla. = I’ll come in the evening.
• Tulen kotiin illaksi. = I’ll be home by evening (in time for the evening).
  Also common: iltaan mennessä = by evening.

Does illalla usually mean this evening?

By default in everyday speech, yes, illalla usually means this evening (today). If you mean another day, specify:

• huomenna illalla (tomorrow evening)
• ensi keskiviikkona illalla (next Wednesday evening) For strong clarity about today, you can also say tänä iltana.

Where exactly should vasta go?

Put vasta immediately before the element it restricts:

• Tulen vasta illalla.
• Vasta illalla tulen.
• With a clock time: Tulen vasta kello kahdeksalta. Placing it after the element (e.g., Tulen illalla vasta) sounds marked or awkward; prefer the forms above.

How would I include a specific clock time?

Use the ablative case for clock times:

• kello kahdeksalta = at eight o’clock
• Combine with vasta: Tulen vasta kello kahdeksalta. = I won’t come until 8.

What’s the difference between tulen and olen tulossa?

• tulen = I will come (a plan or future action).
• olen tulossa = I’m on my way / in the process of coming (more immediate and ongoing).

What are the colloquial forms?

In spoken Finnish you’ll often hear:

• Mä tuun vasta illalla. (I’ll come only in the evening.) Other colloquial forms:
• sä tuut, se tulee, me tullaan, te tuutte, ne tulee. The standard forms are minä tulen, sinä tulet, hän tulee, me tulemme, te tulette, he tulevat.

How is the verb tulla conjugated in the present?

• minä tulen
• sinä tulet
• hän tulee
• me tulemme
• te tulette
• he tulevat
  Past: tulin, tulit, tuli, tulimme, tulitte, tulivat.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• Stress the first syllable of each word: MInä TUlen VASta ILlalla.
• Hold the double consonant in illalla; the ll is long.
• ä in minä is a front vowel (like the a in cat, but longer/clearer).
• v is pronounced like English v.

Could vasta be confused with other words?

Yes:

• vastata = to answer; vastaus = an answer.
• vasta can also mean a sauna whisk (regional synonym of vihta), unrelated to the adverb here. Context makes the meaning clear in sentences like Tulen vasta illalla.

Is there a more formal way to say I arrive only in the evening?

Yes, use saapua:

• Saavun vasta illalla.
  This sounds more formal than Tulen vasta illalla.