Learn Hardcore Finnish: Minä yritän kuvata lintuja puistossa.

Finnish verb endings already show the person. The -n at the end of yritän tells us the subject is I, so Minä is usually omitted unless you want to:

emphasize the subject (for contrast):
Minä yritän, mutta sinä et yritä.
I am trying, but you are not.
or sound very clear and explicit (e.g. in beginner speech or careful style).

Why is it yritän and not yritä or yrittää?

Yrittää is the basic dictionary form (the infinitive: to try).

In the sentence you need I try / I am trying, which is:

verb stem: yrittä-
1st person singular ending: -n

So: yrittä- + -n → yritän

The present tense yritän can mean both:

I try to photograph birds in the park.
I am trying to photograph birds in the park.

Finnish does not have a separate continuous tense like am trying; context decides.

What form is kuvata, and why is it not conjugated like yritän?

Kuvata is in the basic infinitive form (the so‑called first infinitive), meaning to photograph / to film / to depict.

After many verbs of wanting, starting, trying, being able, etc., Finnish normally uses this infinitive:

haluan syödä – I want to eat
alan opiskella – I start to study
yritän kuvata – I try to photograph

Only the first verb (yritän) is conjugated for person and tense; the following verb (kuvata) stays in the infinitive.

Does kuvata mean specifically to photograph, or can it mean other things too?

Kuvata is quite general; it literally means to depict. Depending on context, it can mean:

to photograph (most common in everyday speech)
to film / to shoot video
to portray / to depict / to describe (more general or literary)

In your sentence with lintuja puistossa, the most natural English translation is to photograph birds in the park, but technically it could be to film birds as well, if the context is about video.

Why is it lintuja and not linnut?

Lintuja is the partitive plural of lintu (bird).

nominative singular: lintu (a bird)
nominative plural: linnut (birds)
partitive plural: lintuja

Here lintuja is used because:

The number of birds is indefinite / not specified (some birds, birds in general).
The action is ongoing or incomplete (trying to photograph birds, not a finished task).

Finnish often uses the partitive object when:

the quantity is vague: juon vettä – I drink (some) water
the action is not completed: luen kirjaa – I am reading a book

So yritän kuvata lintuja suggests trying to photograph some / any birds, not a particular, completed set of birds.

When would I use linnut instead of lintuja as the object of kuvata?

Use linnut (nominative plural) when you refer to a whole, delimited set of birds and the action is viewed as complete or clearly targeted:

Kuvaan linnut puistossa.
I (will) photograph the birds in the park.
→ sounds like a plan to get them all, a specific group.
Kuvaan nämä linnut.
I will photograph these birds.
→ a specific, bounded group.

By contrast, kuvaan lintuja puistossa usually means:

I photograph birds in the park (as a hobby / generally).
I’m trying to get pictures of some birds, not all of them.

So:

lintuja – some birds, birds in general, unbounded set, ongoing activity.
linnut – the birds, a specific, complete group.

What case is puistossa, and what does the ending -ssa mean?

Puistossa is the inessive case of puisto (park).

nominative: puisto – park
inessive: puistossa – in the park

The ending -ssa / -ssä usually means in, sometimes at:

talossa – in the house
kaupassa – in the shop / at the shop
puistossa – in the park

So lintuja puistossa = birds in the park.

Could I say Yritän kuvata puistossa lintuja instead? Does word order matter?

You can say Yritän kuvata puistossa lintuja. It is grammatically correct.

Basic meaning doesn’t change, but Finnish word order slightly affects emphasis and information structure:

Yritän kuvata lintuja puistossa.
Neutral; the new or emphasized information is often towards the end, so puistossa may be a bit more in focus.
Yritän kuvata puistossa lintuja.
Slightly more emphasis on lintuja (birds) as the new information.

In practice, both are fine in everyday speech; the difference is subtle. The most neutral, textbook‑like order here is the original:
Yritän kuvata lintuja puistossa.

Why are there no words like a or the (articles) in this Finnish sentence?

Finnish does not have articles like a / an / the at all.

Nuances that English expresses with articles are shown by:

context
word order and stress
pronouns (e.g. nämä linnut – these birds)
object case and other grammatical choices

So lintuja puistossa can mean:

birds in the park
some birds in a park
birds in the (already mentioned) park

The English translation needs to add a / the based on context, but Finnish simply does not mark this explicitly.

How do I say I am not trying to photograph birds in the park in Finnish?

You use the special negative verb ei plus the main verb in its negative form:

person: minä → negative verb: en
main verb: yritän → negative form: yritä

So the sentence becomes:

En yritä kuvata lintuja puistossa.
I am not trying to photograph birds in the park.

Pattern:

Minä yritän → En yritä
Sinä yrität → Et yritä
Hän yrittää → Ei yritä, etc.

Does yritän kuvata translate better as I try to photograph or I am trying to photograph?

It can mean either, depending on context. Finnish present tense covers both:

I try to photograph… (habitual, general)
I am trying to photograph… (right now, ongoing)

The sentence on its own, Minä yritän kuvata lintuja puistossa, is most naturally understood as something you’re doing right now or around the present time, so I am trying to photograph birds in the park is usually the best translation.