Learn Hardcore Finnish: Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä. - The tub is on the table in the kitchen.

Definiteness is normally understood from context, not from a special word. In a typical real-life situation, Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä would be understood as The jar is on the table in the kitchen, because both speaker and listener likely know which jar, table, and kitchen are meant.

What does the ending -llä in pöydällä mean?

The ending -lla / -llä is the adessive case, one of the Finnish “locative” (place) cases. Its core meanings include:

on a surface: pöydällä = on the table
at a place: asemalla = at the station
with (as an instrument): kynällä = with a pen

In this sentence, pöydällä uses the “on a surface” meaning:

pöytä (table) → pöydällä (on the table).

What does the ending -ssä in keittiössä mean, and why is it -ssä not -ssa?

The ending -ssa / -ssä is the inessive case, which usually means in, inside something.

keittiö (kitchen) → keittiössä = in the kitchen

The choice between -ssa and -ssä is based on vowel harmony:

Words with front vowels (ä, ö, y) take -ssä
Words with only back vowels (a, o, u) take -ssa
Mixed words behave according to the last vowel in the stem

keittiö has the front vowel ö, so it takes -ssä → keittiössä.

Why is pöydällä using -llä and keittiössä using -ssä? Both talk about location, right?

Yes, both are location, but they express different kinds of location:

pöydällä (adessive -llä) = on the table (on a surface)
keittiössä (inessive -ssä) = in the kitchen (inside an area/room)

Finnish uses specific local cases for different spatial relations:

-lla/-llä = on, at (external surface / general vicinity)
-ssa/-ssä = in, inside

So Finnish makes the “on vs in” difference with endings, not with separate prepositions.

Why does pöytä change to pöydällä? Where does the d come from?

The base form is pöytä (table).

To add the adessive ending -lla, Finnish also applies consonant gradation in many words. In this case:

The stem of pöytä is pöydä- (this is seen in many case forms)
Then the adessive ending -llä is added:
- pöydä- + llä → pöydällä

So the d is part of the stem that appears when you inflect the word. You just have to learn the stem pattern pöytä → pöydä- when declining the word.

Why isn’t purkki in a special case form like pöydällä and keittiössä?

Purkki is the subject of the sentence and is in the nominative case, which is the basic dictionary form.

Subject of a normal sentence → nominative: purkki
Location phrases → locative cases: pöydällä, keittiössä

Only the words expressing location take those special endings. The thing that is located (the jar) stays in basic form here.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Purkki on keittiössä pöydällä or Keittiössä pöydällä on purkki?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible, but it affects emphasis and sometimes clarity. All of these are grammatically possible:

Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä.
Purkki on keittiössä pöydällä.
Keittiössä pöydällä on purkki.

Typical nuances:

Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä.
- Fairly neutral: identifying where the jar is (first focus on on the table, then narrow to in the kitchen).
Purkki on keittiössä pöydällä.
- Slightly more emphasis that the jar is in the kitchen, then specifying on the table there.
Keittiössä pöydällä on purkki.
- Often used when you are introducing the jar, like “On the table in the kitchen, there is a jar.” (more existential-feeling, focusing first on the place).

Context and intonation decide the exact feeling, but all are understandable.

Could Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä also mean There is a jar on the table in the kitchen?

Yes, in many contexts it can be understood that way. Finnish does not always mark clearly the difference between:

The jar is on the table in the kitchen. (identifying a known jar)
There is a jar on the table in the kitchen. (introducing a jar)

A more typically existential word order would be:

Keittiössä pöydällä on purkki. = On the table in the kitchen, there is a jar.

But even the original sentence can be interpreted like There is a jar…, especially without strong context.

How would I say The jar is on the kitchen table in a more compact way?

You can combine kitchen and table as “kitchen’s table”:

Purkki on keittiön pöydällä.

Here:

keittiön = kitchen’s (genitive case)
pöydällä = on the table

So literally: The jar is on the kitchen’s table. This is the usual way to say on the kitchen table in Finnish.

Why do we need both pöydällä and keittiössä? Isn’t one location word enough?

They express two different levels of location:

pöydällä = on a specific object (the table)
keittiössä = inside a larger place (the kitchen)

Together they narrow down the location: the jar is not just in the kitchen somewhere; it is on the table in the kitchen. You can use either one alone if that is precise enough for the situation:

Purkki on pöydällä. = The jar is on the table.
Purkki on keittiössä. = The jar is in the kitchen.

How do I negate this sentence in Finnish?

To negate olla (to be), Finnish uses a special negative verb ei plus the main verb in a short form:

Purkki ei ole pöydällä keittiössä.
- ei ole = is not

So:

Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä. = The jar is on the table in the kitchen.
Purkki ei ole pöydällä keittiössä. = The jar is not on the table in the kitchen.

How would I say this sentence in the past tense (The jar was on the table in the kitchen) in Finnish?

You only need to change the verb on (is) to oli (was):

Purkki on pöydällä keittiössä. = The jar is on the table in the kitchen.
Purkki oli pöydällä keittiössä. = The jar was on the table in the kitchen.

The case endings on pöydällä and keittiössä stay the same; only the verb changes tense.