Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.

I order a new computer on the internet.

Breakdown of Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.

• minä: I
• uusi: new
• tietokone: the computer
• tilata: to order
• netissä: online

Questions & Answers about Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.

Why does tilaan translate as “I will order” if it’s in the present tense?

In Finnish, the present tense is often used for both:

• “I order” / “I am ordering” (present)
• “I will order” (near future)

Context usually makes it clear which one is meant.

So Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä can mean:

• “I am ordering a new computer online” (right now / very soon), or
• “I will order a new computer online” (future plan)

Finnish only uses a separate future-like structure in special cases; otherwise, the normal present tense covers future meanings too.

Why isn’t there a word for “I” in the sentence?

Finnish usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person.

• tilaan = I order
  
  • -n ending = first person singular (“I”)

So Tilaan already means “I order / I am ordering / I will order”, and adding minä (I) is optional:

• Minä tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä. – Totally correct, but a bit more emphatic.
• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä. – Neutral, natural everyday Finnish.

You only need minä for emphasis or clarity, not by default.

How does uuden tietokoneen mean “a new computer” when there’s no word for “a”?

Finnish has no articles (a/an, the). The idea of “a” or “the” is understood from context, not from a specific word.

• uusi tietokone (basic form) can mean “a new computer” or “the new computer”, depending on context.
• In this sentence, uuden tietokoneen is in a different case (see below), but still carries that same “a/the new computer” idea.

So:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
  → “I will order a new computer online.” (or “the new computer,” if the context is specific)

English must choose a or the; Finnish doesn’t, so you interpret it based on the situation.

Why is uusi (new) changed to uuden?

uusi is the base form (nominative) of the adjective “new”.

In uuden tietokoneen:

• tietokoneen is in the genitive (object case form here: “computer” → “computer’s / (the) computer”).
• Adjectives must agree in case and number with the nouns they modify.

So:

• uusi tietokone – base form (nominative)
• uuden tietokoneen – both in genitive singular

Breakdown:

• uusi → uuden (genitive singular of the adjective)
• tietokone → tietokoneen (genitive singular of the noun)

They “match” like this:

• nominative: uusi tietokone – “(a/the) new computer”
• genitive: uuden tietokoneen – used here as a total object (see next question)

Why is tietokone changed to tietokoneen? Why not just uusi tietokone?

tietokone = “computer” in the base (nominative) form.
tietokoneen = genitive singular form.

In Finnish, the object of a verb often appears in a special object case, not just in the base form. With a complete, definite action in an affirmative sentence, a singular object is usually in the genitive (often called the “total object”):

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen. – “I will order a new computer.”
  (I intend to get one whole, specific computer: total object → genitive)

So “uuden tietokoneen” is the total object of tilaan.

You’d use the base form uusi tietokone for the subject, not an object:

• Uusi tietokone on kallis. – “The new computer is expensive.”
  (here uusi tietokone is the subject, so nominative)

What’s the difference between uuden tietokoneen and uutta tietokonetta?

This is the classic total vs. partial object contrast.

• uuden tietokoneen = total object (genitive).
  → The action is seen as complete and affecting the whole item.

  • Tilaan uuden tietokoneen.
    “I will order a (whole) new computer.”

• uutta tietokonetta = partial object (partitive).
  → The action is incomplete, ongoing, repeated, or affects only part of something, or is somehow indefinite/uncertain.

Examples:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen.
  → I will place an order to get one complete new computer.
• Tilaan uutta tietokonetta.
  → Could sound like:
  • I’m in the process of ordering a new computer (ongoing, not completed action), or
  • There’s some uncertainty / it’s not a clear, complete event.

In everyday speech, Tilaan uuden tietokoneen is the normal choice when you mean a straightforward, complete purchase of one whole computer.

What does netissä literally mean, and why is it translated as “online / on the internet”?

netissä is the inessive case of netti (“the net”, “the internet”):

• netti – “the net / internet”
• netissä – “in the net”, i.e. “on the internet, online”

Inessive (-ssa / -ssä) roughly corresponds to English “in / inside”, but for abstract things like networks, languages, media, etc., Finnish can use -ssa where English uses on:

• netissä – “on the internet / online”
• televisiossa – “on TV”
• radiossa – “on the radio”

So Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
→ Literally: “I order a new computer in the net.”
→ Natural English: “I will order a new computer online / on the internet.”

Can I say verkossa instead of netissä? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can:

• netissä – “on the net / online”
• verkossa – literally “in the network,” also used for “online”

Both are common. Nuances:

• netissä

  • Very everyday, slightly colloquial.
  • Directly associated with the internet.

• verkossa

  • Slightly more neutral or technical in some contexts.
  • Can also mean “in a (computer) network” more generally, not only the public internet.

In this sentence, both are fine:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen verkossa.

Both mean “I (will) order a new computer online.”

What is the basic dictionary form of tilaan, and how is it conjugated?

The dictionary (infinitive) form is tilata – “to order, to subscribe”.

tilaan is 1st person singular, present tense: “I order / I am ordering / I will order”.

Present tense of tilata:

• minä tilaan – I order
• sinä tilaat – you order (singular)
• hän tilaa – he/she orders
• me tilaamme – we order
• te tilaatte – you order (plural / polite)
• he tilaavat – they order

So:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
  = Minä tilaan… (subject I is built into the -n ending).

Could I say Ostan uuden tietokoneen netissä instead of Tilaan…? What’s the difference between tilata and ostaa?

You can say both, but they emphasize slightly different things:

• tilata = “to order, to place an order, to subscribe”

  • Focus on the ordering process (placing the order in a system).
  • Used for online orders, magazine subscriptions, restaurant orders, etc.

• ostaa = “to buy”

  • Focus on the act of purchasing / paying and acquiring ownership.

So:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
  → I’m going to place an order for a new computer online.
• Ostan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
  → I’m going to buy a new computer online. (Also perfectly natural.)

In practice, for online shopping, both are common and often interchangeable. Tilata is slightly more about the formal order transaction, ostaa about the purchase itself.

Can I change the word order, for example Tilaan netissä uuden tietokoneen?

Yes. Finnish word order is fairly flexible, and you can move netissä without changing the core meaning too much:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
• Tilaan netissä uuden tietokoneen.
• Uuden tietokoneen tilaan netissä.

All can mean “I (will) order a new computer online.”

Differences are mostly about emphasis and information structure:

• The element near the beginning or in a highlighted position gets more emphasis.
• For example, Netissä tilaan uuden tietokoneen would emphasize online (as opposed to in a store).

The original Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä is neutral and very natural.

Do I need a word like “one” (yksi) or “it” (sen) in this sentence?

No.

• You don’t say Tilaan yhden uuden tietokoneen netissä unless you want to stress the number “one” (e.g. “not two, just one”).
• You don’t need sen (“it”) either; the object uuden tietokoneen already says what you’re ordering.

So the simple and natural form is:

• Tilaan uuden tietokoneen netissä.
  → “I will order a new computer online.”

Finnish usually avoids extra pronouns or numerals unless there’s a specific reason (emphasis, contrast, or clarity).