Learn Hardcore Finnish: Talvella pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.

talvella = in (the) winter
kesällä = in (the) summer
keväällä = in (the) spring
syksyllä = in (the) autumn
maanantaina / maanantaisin (special case, but also maanantaina from maanantai)

So talvella pukeudun… is literally like saying “during winter I dress…”.
Using bare talvi would just mean winter as a noun, not in winter.

Why is it pukeudun and not something like pukeun or pukeutan? What verb is this from?

Pukeudun is the 1st person singular (I-form) of the verb pukeutua.

Dictionary form: pukeutua = to get dressed / to dress oneself
Stem: pukeutu-
Present tense:
- minä pukeudun (I get dressed / I dress myself)
- sinä pukeudut
- hän pukeutuu

The t → d change is a regular sound change in Finnish: in many verbs ending in -tua / -tä, t becomes d in the middle of the word. So:

pukeutua → pukeudu-
- n → pukeudun

So the form is exactly what the grammar of pukeutua requires; pukeun or pukeutan would be incorrect.

What is the difference between pukeutua and pukea?

Both relate to dressing, but they work differently:

pukeutua = to get dressed, to dress oneself, to put clothes on oneself
- It is intransitive (no direct object) and behaves somewhat like a reflexive verb.
- It typically takes the illative case (the “into” case) for what you dress in:
  - pukeutua takkiin = to dress in a coat
  - pukeutua tummiin vaatteisiin = to dress in dark clothes
pukea = to dress (someone/something), to put clothes on something
- It is transitive and takes a direct object:
  - pukea lapsi = to dress the child
  - pukea takki päälle = to put the coat on

In the sentence Talvella pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan, we are talking about me dressing myself, so pukeutua is the natural choice.

Why are takki and kaulaliina in the forms takkiin and kaulaliinaan? What is that -in / -an ending?

Takkiin and kaulaliinaan are in the illative case.

The illative case expresses movement into something and often corresponds to “into” or “in(to)” in English.

takki (coat) → takkiin (into a coat)
kaulaliina (scarf) → kaulaliinaan (into a scarf)

With the verb pukeutua, the thing you put on yourself is normally in the illative:

pukeutua takkiin = to dress in a coat
pukeutua pukuun = to dress in a suit
pukeutua mustaan mekkoon = to dress in a black dress

So the -in / -an here is the illative singular ending, required by the verb pukeutua.

Why does takki become takkiin (with double i) and kaulaliina become kaulaliinaan (with double aa and ii)?

This is just how the illative is formed depending on the word’s ending:

For many -i words like takki:
- takki → takkiin (i + in → iin)
- kivi (stone) → kiveen
For -a / -ä words like kaulaliina:
- kaulaliina → kaulaliinaan (a + an → aan)
- oma (own) → omaan

So the double vowels come from the combination of the stem vowel plus the illative ending. Spelling reflects the actual pronunciation: you hold the vowel longer.

takkiin: tak-kiin (long ii)
kaulaliinaan: kau-la-lii-naan (long ii and long aa)

Why are the clothes in the illative with pukeutua? In English we just say “I dress in a coat”, not “into a coat”.

Finnish treats this idea slightly differently from English.

The verb pukeutua naturally combines with the illative: you “dress into” something. That is why the pattern is:

pukeutua + illative
- pukeudun takkiin = I dress in a coat
- pukeudun tummaan pukuun = I dress in a dark suit

Conceptually you can think:

pukeudun takkiin ≈ “I put myself into a coat”

It does not sound strange in Finnish; it is just the normal verb–case combination. English happens to express the same idea with “in” instead of “into”, but Finnish keeps the “into” feeling.

Does takkiin mean “into a coat” or “into my coat”? Why is there no word for my?

Finnish often omits explicit possession (my, your, his…) when it is obvious from context, especially with body parts and clothing.

So in a sentence about me getting dressed:

pukeudun takkiin is normally understood as “I put on my coat”,
not some random coat belonging to someone else.

If you want to be very explicit, you can add a possessive suffix or a genitive:

pukeudun takkini = I dress in my coat (possessive suffix -ni)
pukeudun sinun takkiisi = I dress in your coat
pukeudun äitini takkiin = I dress in my mother’s coat

But in natural everyday speech, pukeudun takkiin is enough; “my” is understood.

Could this sentence use plural clothes, like takkeihin ja kaulaliinoihin? When do you use singular vs plural?

Yes, you could say:

Talvella pukeudun takkeihin ja kaulaliinoihin.

This would literally emphasize multiple coats and scarves (e.g. if you regularly wear several different ones or pile them on).

However, Finnish often uses the singular for a general, habitual statement:

Talvella pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.
= In winter I wear a coat and a scarf (as a type of clothing).

So:

Singular: generic statement about the type of clothing you use.
Plural: emphasizes several items, or variety, or quantity.

In most normal contexts, the singular in this sentence sounds more natural.

Why is it talvella and not talvessa? What is the difference between -lla and -ssa?

Both -lla / -llä (adessive) and -ssa / -ssä (inessive) can express location, but their typical uses differ:

-ssa / -ssä (inessive) = “in, inside” something:
- talossa = in the house
- kaupungissa = in the city
-lla / -llä (adessive) = “on, at”, and also very often time expressions:
- pöydällä = on the table
- asemalla = at the station
- talvella = in (the) winter
- kesällä = in (the) summer

For seasons, -lla is the standard: talvella, kesällä, syksyllä, keväällä.
Talvessa would sound odd or incorrect in this temporal meaning.

Can I add minä and say Talvella minä pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan? Does that change the meaning?

You can absolutely add minä:

Talvella pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.
Talvella minä pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.

Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing in a neutral context.

Differences:

Without minä:
- This is the default, neutral style.
- The verb ending -n in pukeudun already marks “I”.
With minä:
- You add slight emphasis to I, as in “I (as opposed to others) dress in a coat and a scarf in winter.”
- It can be used for contrast or focus, or simply in very careful/slow speech.

In everyday Finnish, the version without the personal pronoun is more typical unless you want emphasis.

Can Talvella be moved to another position in the sentence?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible. You can say, for example:

Talvella pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.
Pukeudun talvella takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.

Both are correct.

Subtle nuance:

Starting with Talvella highlights the time frame: “As for winter, this is what I do.”
Putting talvella later sounds a bit more neutral and focuses more on the action pukeudun takkiin ja kaulaliinaan.

Grammatically, both are fine; the choice is mostly about emphasis and style.