Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

We prefer to go by metro rather than by bus.

Breakdown of Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

• mennä: to go
• -lla: by
• bussi: the bus
• kuin: than
• metro: the metro
• mieluummin: preferably

Questions & Answers about Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

Why is there no separate word for we in the Finnish sentence?

In Finnish, the personal ending on the verb already shows who the subject is.

• menemme = mennä (to go) + -mme (1st person plural ending)
• So menemme literally means we go.

You can add the pronoun me for emphasis or contrast:

• Me menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.
  = We (as opposed to someone else) prefer to go by metro rather than by bus.

But it is not required; the verb form alone is enough.

What exactly does mieluummin mean, and is it related to a base form?

Mieluummin is an adverb meaning rather / preferably / would prefer to.

It is the comparative form of the adverb mielellään or mieluusti (“gladly, with pleasure”):

• mielellään / mieluusti = gladly
• mieluummin = more gladly, rather / preferably
• mieluiten = most gladly, preferably above all / the most

So:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla.
  = We go more gladly by metro → We prefer to go by metro.

You don’t need a separate verb like prefer; mieluummin plus a normal verb (menemme) expresses the preference.

Why do metrolla and bussilla have the ending -lla / -llä?

Metrolla and bussilla are in the adessive case (ending -lla / -llä).

One of the main uses of the adessive case is to express means or instrument, including means of transport. So:

• metrolla = by metro (literally “with/on the metro”)
• bussilla = by bus (literally “with/on the bus”)

Other examples:

• junalla = by train
• laivalla = by ship
• pyörällä = by bike

So the pattern is:
verb of movement + [vehicle in adessive] = go/come/travel by [vehicle].

How is metrolla formed from metro, and bussilla from bussi?

You take the noun stem and add the adessive ending:

• metro → metro-lla → metrolla
  (the o + l combination naturally gives ol, no extra change)

• bussi → bussi-lla → bussilla
  (just add -lla to the stem bussi-)

The choice between -lla and -llä follows vowel harmony:
if the word has only front vowels (y, ä, ö), you’d use -llä.
Here, metro and bussi have back/neutral vowels, so -lla is used.

What is the difference between metrolla and bussilla versus forms like bussissa?

• metrolla / bussilla (adessive, -lla/-llä)
  → expresses means of transport: by metro, by bus.

• bussissa (inessive, -ssa/-ssä)
  → literally in the bus, used when you are inside the bus.

Examples:

• Menemme bussilla.
  = We go by bus (general way of travelling).

• Olemme bussissa.
  = We are on/in the bus (physically inside it).

So in your sentence, we’re talking about the way of travelling, so bussilla is correct.

What role does kuin play here, and why is it not kun?

Kuin is the word used in comparisons; here it means than.

Structure:
mieluummin X kuin Y = rather X than Y

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.
  = We go rather by metro than by bus.

Kun is a different word, usually meaning when or because, and it cannot be used in this comparative structure. Mixing them up changes or breaks the meaning:

• kun → when / since / because
• kuin → than / as (in comparisons)

Why isn’t the verb repeated after kuin? In English we would say “than (we go) by bus.”

In Finnish, you usually don’t repeat the verb in this kind of comparison if it would be exactly the same verb and form.

So instead of:

• ✗ Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin menemme bussilla. (grammatical but clumsy)

you simply say:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

The listener automatically understands that menemme applies to both metrolla and bussilla.
This is very typical in Finnish comparisons with kuin.

Can the word order be changed, for example putting mieluummin first?

Yes, Finnish word order is fairly flexible, and mieluummin can move:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla. (neutral)
• Mieluummin menemme metrolla kuin bussilla.
  – puts a bit more emphasis on mieluummin (“we’d rather…”).
• Menemme metrolla mieluummin kuin bussilla.
  – also possible; mieluummin still clearly modifies menemme.

The basic meaning doesn’t change; the differences are in focus or emphasis.
The original word order is the most straightforward and common.

Could you also say Me menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, that sentence is completely correct:

• Me menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

Compared with Menemme mieluummin…, adding me:

• adds emphasis on “we” (often contrastive: we as opposed to others)
• can make the sentence slightly clearer for learners, but for natives it can sound either neutral or slightly emphasized depending on context.

Grammatically, both versions mean the same: We prefer to go by metro rather than by bus.

Could we use a different verb like tykkäämme (we like) instead of menemme?

You could express a similar preference with tykätä (to like) or pitää (to like), but the structure changes:

• Tykkäämme enemmän metrolla kulkemisesta kuin bussilla.
  = We like travelling by metro more than (by) bus.

However, the original Finnish sentence is more natural and compact:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin bussilla.

Here, menemme describes the action (go), and mieluummin adds the idea of rather / preferably; you don’t need a separate verb “to prefer.”

How would I say “We would rather go by metro than walk” using the same structure?

Use the same mieluummin … kuin … pattern, but compare two different actions:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin kävelemme.
  (literally: We go rather by metro than we walk.)

More natural and idiomatic is to drop the repeated verb:

• Menemme mieluummin metrolla kuin kävellen.
  = We would rather go by metro than (go) on foot / walking.

Here kävellen is the instructive participle, often used to express “by doing X” → by walking.