Learn Hardcore Finnish: Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä.

pankkiautomaatti = cash machine / ATM
- pankki = bank
- automaatti = machine / automaton
  → together: pankkiautomaatti = bank machine.
on = is
This is the 3rd person singular form of the verb olla (to be).
pankin = of (the) bank / bank’s
- base form: pankki (bank)
- pankin is the genitive form (shows “of” or possession).
vieressä = next to, beside
- base: vieri (side)
- ending -ssä = inessive case (“in/at inside something”) → literally at the side (of).

So the very literal structure is something like:
Bank‑machine is at-the-bank’s side. → The ATM is next to the bank.

Why is pankkiautomaatti written as one long word instead of two separate words?

Finnish normally writes noun–noun combinations as one compound word:

pankki (bank) + automaatti (machine) → pankkiautomaatti (bank machine).

Some other examples:

kahvikuppi = kahvi (coffee) + kuppi (cup) → coffee cup
opiskelijakortti = opiskelija (student) + kortti (card) → student card

So pankkiautomaatti is a standard compound noun, not two separate words. Writing it as pankki automaatti would simply be wrong in Finnish.

Why is it pankin and not pankki in this sentence?

Pankin is the genitive form of pankki:

pankki (nominative) = bank
pankin (genitive) = of the bank / bank’s

The structure pankin vieressä literally means “at the side of the bank”.
The postposition vieressä (“next to”) usually takes the genitive:

talon vieressä = next to the house (talon = of the house)
kaupan vieressä = next to the shop
pankin vieressä = next to the bank

So you need pankin, not pankki, because the “side” (vieri) belongs to or is associated with the bank.

What grammatical form is vieressä, and how does it work?

Vieressä is a postposition based on the noun vieri (side), in the inessive case:

vieri = side
vieressä = in/at the side → idiomatically next to / beside

In Finnish, many location words function like this: they are nouns in a case form and appear after the thing they relate to:

pankin vieressä = next to the bank
talon edessä = in front of the house (ede‑
- ssä)
kaupan takana = behind the shop

Notice:

The “host” noun goes in genitive: pankin
The location word is typically in a locative case: here -ssä (inessive).

So pankin vieressä literally: at the bank’s side → next to the bank.

Why is the word order Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä and not Pankin vieressä on pankkiautomaatti?

Both word orders are grammatically correct:

Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä.
- Neutral reading: “The ATM is next to the bank.”
- Topic: ATM (what we’re talking about).
- Comment: where it is.
Pankin vieressä on pankkiautomaatti.
- More like: “(There) is an ATM next to the bank.”
- Topic: next to the bank (location), and what’s there? An ATM.
- This can feel slightly more existential (“there is …”) or emphasize the location.

Finnish word order is relatively flexible. Changes in order mostly affect:

What is old vs new information
What part is emphasized

Here, the sentence given is the basic, neutral way to say it if the ATM is already the main topic.

Could you leave out on and just say Pankkiautomaatti pankin vieressä?

No. In standard Finnish you need the verb on here.

on is the verb olla (to be), 3rd person singular.
Without on, you’d just have two noun phrases next to each other, which doesn’t form a normal sentence of location.

Compare:

Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä. = The ATM is next to the bank.
Pankkiautomaatti pankin vieressä. = sounds like a sentence fragment, a label, or a title (e.g. on a map or sign), not a full statement.

So as a full spoken or written sentence, you include on.

How can this mean both “an ATM” and “the ATM” when Finnish has no articles?

Finnish does not have a/an or the. The noun pankkiautomaatti by itself is neutral:

It can refer to an ATM (non‑specific, new information)
Or the ATM (specific, known from context)

Which one is meant depends on:

Context: what has been mentioned before
Word order and emphasis
Sometimes additional words (like se = “that/it”) if you want to be extra clear

In ordinary conversation, Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä will be understood as:

“The ATM is next to the bank” if both speakers know which ATM is being discussed.
“There is an ATM next to the bank” if they’re simply talking about the existence of an ATM near the bank.

So the English translation has to choose “an/the” based on context, but Finnish doesn’t mark that grammatically.

What is the difference between vieressä, lähellä, and edessä?

All three talk about location but with different spatial relations:

vieressä = next to, beside
Very close, side by side.
- pankin vieressä = right next to the bank
lähellä = near, nearby
Close in a more general sense, not necessarily touching or directly beside.
- pankin lähellä = near the bank (maybe across the street, around the corner, etc.)
edessä = in front of
In front of something, often facing it.
- pankin edessä = in front of the bank (e.g. on the street or sidewalk in front)

So:

Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä. = The ATM is next to the bank.
Pankkiautomaatti on pankin lähellä. = The ATM is near the bank.
Pankkiautomaatti on pankin edessä. = The ATM is in front of the bank.

Can you also say Pankkiautomaatti on pankin vierellä? What’s the difference from vieressä?

You can see vierellä in Finnish, but:

vieressä is the most common everyday choice for “next to, beside”.
vierellä uses a different locative ending (-llä, adessive), and often sounds more poetic or literary, or is used more with living beings:
- Istun koiran vierellä. = I sit beside the dog.

There is overlap, and in many contexts both could be understood as “next to”, but:

For standard, neutral speech about inanimate things like a bank and an ATM, pankin vieressä is the natural, default expression.
Using pankin vierellä for this would sound a bit unusual in everyday language, though still understandable.

How should I pronounce pankkiautomaatti on pankin vieressä?

Key points:

Stress
- Finnish stresses the first syllable of each word:
  - PANK‑ki‑au‑to‑MAAT‑ti on PAN‑kin VIE‑res‑sä
Double consonants/vowels matter
- pankki: kk is long. Hold the k slightly longer than in English:
  - pan‑kki (like “pank‑ki”), not “panki”.
- automaatti: aa is a long a. Keep it clearly longer:
  - auto‑maa‑tti.
- vieressä: ss is long, and final ä is front vowel (like “a” in “cat”, but shorter).
Vowels are all pronounced clearly
- No reduction like English “schwa”. Say each vowel distinctly:
  - pankkiautomaatti has many vowels, but all are fully pronounced.
Consonant clusters
- nk in pankki is pronounced like “ngk” (similar to “bank” in English, but clearer).

Why does pankki become pankin (with only one k) in the genitive?

This is an example of consonant gradation, a common sound change in Finnish word forms.

Nominative (dictionary form): pankki
Genitive: pankin

The kk becomes k when the word ends up in a “closed” syllable pattern in certain forms. Many words with kk behave like this:

kukka (flower) → kukan (of the flower)
häkki (cage) → hakin (of the cage)
pankki (bank) → pankin (of the bank)

So the change kk → k is regular and something you will see all the time in Finnish declension.