Minä istun odotushuoneessa.

I sit in the waiting room.

Breakdown of Minä istun odotushuoneessa.

• minä: I
• -ssa: in
• istua: to sit
• odotushuone: the waiting room

Questions & Answers about Minä istun odotushuoneessa.

What does each word in Minä istun odotushuoneessa literally mean?

Word by word:

• Minä = I
• istun = sit / am sitting (1st person singular of the verb istua, “to sit”)
• odotushuoneessa = in the waiting room

Inside odotushuoneessa you have:

• odotus = waiting
• huone = room
• -ssa = inessive case ending meaning in, inside

So literally: “I sit in-(the)-waiting-room.”

Do I have to say Minä, or can I just say Istun odotushuoneessa?

You can drop Minä.

Finnish verb endings already show the person:

• istun = I sit
• istut = you (sg) sit
• istuu = he/she sits

So both are correct:

• Minä istun odotushuoneessa. – a bit more explicit, neutral.
• Istun odotushuoneessa. – very natural, often used in real speech and writing.

You normally use Minä only for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:

• Minä istun odotushuoneessa, sinä seisot käytävällä.
  I am sitting in the waiting room, you are standing in the corridor.

Why does istun mean both “I sit” and “I am sitting”?