Learn Hardcore Finnish: Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua opiskelemaan suomea. - Every like motivates me to study Finnish.

always refers to one item at a time,
and it is grammatically singular,
so the noun after it is also in the singular nominative: jokainen tykkäys = each like / every like.

Even though the idea is “all likes”, the structure is literally “every single like”, so tykkäys must stay singular.

Could I say Kaikki tykkäykset motivoivat minua opiskelemaan suomea instead, and how would the meaning change?

Yes, that’s correct Finnish, but with a slightly different nuance:

Jokainen tykkäys motivoi…
– Literally: Every like motivates…
– Focus: each individual like has motivating power.
Kaikki tykkäykset motivoivat…
– Literally: All (the) likes motivate…
– Focus: the collection of likes as a group is motivating.

Notice the agreement change:

jokainen tykkäys motivoi (singular subject → singular verb)
kaikki tykkäykset motivoivat (plural subject → plural verb)

What exactly is tykkäys, and how is it related to tykätä?

Tykätä = to like (verb).
Tykkäys = a like (noun), for example a like on social media.

So:

tykätä jostakin = to like something
tykkäys = a like (the action or its visible result, e.g. clicking the like button)

The -ys / -ys ending is a common way to make a noun from a verb in Finnish.

Why is the verb motivoi singular here?

The grammatical subject is jokainen tykkäys, which is singular:

jokainen → singular
tykkäys → singular noun
so the verb must be 3rd person singular: motivoi

If you had a plural subject, you’d use plural:

kaikki tykkäykset motivoivat (not motivoi)

Why is it minua and not minut or minä?

Minua is the partitive form of minä (I, me).

With many “psychological” or “affective” verbs – things like kiinnostaa (interest), pelottaa (frighten), harmittaa (annoy), motivoida (motivate) – the person who feels the effect is often in the partitive:

Motivoi minua = motivates me (literally: motivates of-me)
Se kiinnostaa minua = It interests me
Tämä ärsyttää minua = This annoys me

Minut is the accusative form and is used mostly as a direct object of an action that clearly affects/completes on “me” (e.g. Hän näki minut – He saw me). Here the pattern of the verb is simply motivoi + partitive experiencer, so minua is required.

What form is opiskelemaan, and why is it used instead of opiskella?

Opiskelemaan is:

the 3rd infinitive in the illative case, often called the MA-infinitive illative, from the verb opiskella (to study).

Structure:

verb stem: opiskele-
MA-infinitive ending: -maan → opiskelemaan

This -maan / -mään form is used after many verbs (like mennä, auttaa, aloittaa, motivoida) to express going into a state or activity, roughly “to go (into) doing X” or “to start / be motivated to do X”.

Compare:

Haluan opiskella suomea. – I want to study Finnish. (1st infinitive)
Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua opiskelemaan suomea. – Every like motivates me into studying Finnish / to start studying Finnish.

So motivoida + opiskelemaan is the natural pattern here. Motivoi minua opiskella suomea would sound unidiomatic.

Why is suomea in the partitive, not suomi?

Suomea is the partitive of suomi (Finnish).

With verbs of learning, studying, speaking, knowing etc., the language is very often in the partitive, especially when you’re talking about the language as an ongoing process, a subject of study, or an indefinite amount of knowledge:

opiskella suomea – to study Finnish
puhua suomea – to speak Finnish
ymmärtää suomea – to understand Finnish (to some degree)

Using suomi in the nominative here (opiskella suomi) would be incorrect. If you want to be very explicit, you can also say:

opiskella suomen kieltä – to study the Finnish language (also partitive: kieltä)

Can I change the word order, for example Minua motivoi jokainen tykkäys opiskelemaan suomea?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible, and that sentence is grammatical.

Basic vs. alternative:

Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua opiskelemaan suomea.
– Neutral emphasis on every like as the subject.
Minua motivoi jokainen tykkäys opiskelemaan suomea.
– Emphasis shifts slightly to minua (me): It’s me who is motivated by every like…
– Still perfectly natural, just a different focus.

You can also move opiskelemaan suomea around a bit:

Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua suomea opiskelemaan. – Possible, but more marked / poetic.
The original order (…minua opiskelemaan suomea) is the most neutral.

Can I leave out minua and just say Jokainen tykkäys motivoi opiskelemaan suomea?

You can, but the meaning shifts:

Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua opiskelemaan suomea.
– Specifically: Every like motivates *me to study Finnish.*
Jokainen tykkäys motivoi opiskelemaan suomea.
– More general: Every like motivates (one/people) to study Finnish.
– The experiencer is understood as generic or unspecified, not clearly “me”.

So, if you want to say me, keep minua.

Why is suomea written with a lowercase s, not Suomea?

In Finnish:

Country names are capitalized: Suomi (Finland)
Language names are not capitalized: suomi (Finnish language)

So in this sentence you are talking about the language, not the country, so it’s:

opiskelemaan suomea, not Suomea

Is jokainen always followed by a singular noun?

Yes. Jokainen behaves like each / every in English:

jokainen ihminen – every person
jokainen päivä – every day
jokainen tykkäys – every like

It is always singular, and the verb that agrees with its noun phrase is also singular:

Jokainen ihminen tarvitsee lepoa. – Every person needs rest.
Jokainen tykkäys motivoi minua. – Every like motivates me.

Are there other natural ways to say the same thing in Finnish?

Yes, for example:

Jokainen tykkäys antaa minulle motivaatiota opiskella suomea.
– Every like gives me motivation to study Finnish.
Jokainen tykkäys innostaa minua opiskelemaan suomea.
– Every like inspires / excites me to study Finnish.
Tykkäykset motivoivat minua opiskelemaan suomea.
– Likes motivate me to study Finnish. (no “each / every”, just likes in general)