Katson karttaa tarkasti.

I look at the map carefully.

Breakdown of Katson karttaa tarkasti.

• minä: I
• kartta: the map
• katsoa: to look at
• tarkasti: carefully

Questions & Answers about Katson karttaa tarkasti.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence? Why isn’t it Minä katson karttaa tarkasti?

In Finnish, the subject pronoun (minä, sinä, etc.) is usually left out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• katson = katso- (verb stem) + -n (1st person singular ending)
• So katson on its own already means I look / I am looking.

You can say Minä katson karttaa tarkasti for emphasis (for example, contrasting with someone else), but in a neutral sentence it’s more natural just to say Katson karttaa tarkasti.

What tense is katson? Does it mean I look or I am looking?

Katson is the present tense, indicative mood, 1st person singular of katsoa.

Finnish has no separate present simple vs present continuous forms. Katson can mean:

• I look at the map carefully.
• I am looking at the map carefully.

Context decides which English translation fits better.

Why is it karttaa and not kartta or kartan?

The basic form (nominative) of the noun is kartta (a map).

In Katson karttaa tarkasti, karttaa is the partitive singular of kartta. Katsoa is a verb that often takes the object in the partitive when you are looking at something in an ongoing, not-necessarily-complete way.

Roughly:

• Katson karttaa.
  → I’m (just) looking at the map. Ongoing activity, no focus on completion.

• Katson kartan.
  → I look at / go through the (whole) map (and finish doing so). More like a completed, total act.

Both are grammatically correct, but karttaa is more neutral for “I’m looking at the map” as an activity.

How is karttaa formed from kartta? Why the double a?

Karttaa is the partitive singular of kartta.

For many nouns ending in -a, the partitive is formed by lengthening the final a to aa:

• kissa → kissaa (a cat → partitive)
• kartta → karttaa (a map → partitive)
• kota → kotaa (a hut → partitive)

So:

• base form: kartta
• partitive singular: karttaa

Is karttaa here a verb or a noun? I know karttaa can mean to avoid.

In this sentence, karttaa is a noun in the partitive singular (the object of katson).

There is indeed a verb karttaa = to avoid, but:

• As a verb in the present 1st person singular it would be kartan (I avoid).
• Here the form is karttaa, immediately after katson, which normally takes a noun object.

So Katson karttaa can only mean I look at the map, not I look at (someone) avoiding or similar.

Why don’t we say look at with a preposition? Why is it just katson karttaa?

Finnish typically uses bare objects instead of preposition + object structures that English uses.

• English: look at the map
• Finnish: katsoa karttaa

The verb katsoa already includes the “at” idea in its meaning. You do not add any preposition like at, to, or on. You simply use katsoa + object (karttaa here, in the partitive).

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Katson tarkasti karttaa?

Yes, word order in Finnish is quite flexible, and all of these are possible:

• Katson karttaa tarkasti.
  Neutral: focus on what you are doing, then how.

• Katson tarkasti karttaa.
  Slight emphasis on carefully: you carefully look at the map.

• Karttaa katson tarkasti.
  Emphasis on karttaa: It’s the map that I’m looking at carefully (not something else).

• Tarkasti katson karttaa.
  Very strong emphasis on tarkasti, a bit poetic or stylized.

The most straightforward, neutral form is Katson karttaa tarkasti.

What does tarkasti correspond to grammatically? Is it an adverb?

Yes, tarkasti is an adverb meaning carefully / precisely.

It is formed from the adjective tarkka (careful, precise) by adding -sti, a common adverb-forming ending:

• nopea (fast) → nopeasti (quickly)
• hiljainen (quiet) → hiljaa (quietly) or hiljaisesti
• tarkka (careful) → tarkasti (carefully)

In Katson karttaa tarkasti, it modifies the verb katson: I look carefully.

What is the difference between tarkasti and tarkkaan?

Both can be translated “carefully / precisely”, but they are used a bit differently:

• tarkasti is the basic adverb that directly modifies a verb:

  • Katson karttaa tarkasti. → I look at the map carefully.

• tarkkaan often has a nuance of to a precise degree, thoroughly, in detail and appears more with certain verbs or fixed expressions:

  • Muistan sen tarkkaan. → I remember it exactly / in detail.
  • Hän mietti asiaa tarkkaan. → He/she thought the matter over thoroughly.

In Katson karttaa tarkasti, tarkasti is more natural than tarkkaan, although Katson karttaa tarkkaan is not wrong and would slightly emphasize thoroughness or precision.

Does katsoa always take the partitive for its object?

No. Katsoa can take either the partitive or a total (genitive-accusative / nominative) object, depending on meaning and aspect:

• partitive (ongoing, unbounded, “some amount of looking”):

  • Katson karttaa. → I’m looking at (some / the) map.
  • Katsoin televisiota. → I was watching TV.

• total object (completed, entire thing):

  • Katsoin kartan. → I looked at the (whole) map / I checked the map (to completion).
  • Katson elokuvan. → I will watch the movie (from start to finish).

So Katson karttaa tarkasti describes the activity of looking carefully, without highlighting a completed, bounded act.

How is katson formed from katsoa?

The infinitive (dictionary) form is katsoa.

To form the present tense, 1st person singular:

1. Take the stem: katso-
2. Add the personal ending -n (for minä):
   → katson

So:

• katsoa = to look (at), to watch
• katson = I look / I am looking

Is there any article-like word for karttaa, like a/an or the?

No. Finnish has no articles like a/an or the.

The single form karttaa can be translated as:

• a map
• the map
• sometimes even maps in a generic sense, depending on context.

So Katson karttaa tarkasti can be understood as:

• I am looking at a map carefully or
• I am looking at the map carefully,
  whichever fits the situation.