Learn Hardcore Finnish: Minä nousen aikaisin aamulla.

Nousen aikaisin aamulla. – neutral: I get up early in the morning.
Minä nousen aikaisin aamulla. – more like: I get up early in the morning (as opposed to someone else).

In everyday speech, Finns often drop minä unless they want to emphasize or contrast it.

What is the infinitive (dictionary) form of nousen, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive (basic form) is nousta (to get up / to rise).

It’s a type 3 verb, which typically ends in -sta/-stä, -la/-lä, -na/-nä, -ra/-rä. The stem changes slightly when conjugated.

Present tense of nousta:

minä nousen – I get up
sinä nouset – you (sg) get up
hän nousee – he/she gets up
me nousemme – we get up
te nousette – you (pl) get up
he nousevat – they get up

Notice how the infinitive nousta becomes nouse-/nous- in the conjugated forms.

Why is it aikaisin and not aikainen or something else?

Aikainen is an adjective meaning early (as a quality of a noun):

aikainen aamu – an early morning

Aikaisin is an adverb meaning early in the sense of at an early time:

Nousen aikaisin. – I get up early.

In this sentence, aikaisin is modifying the verb nousen, so we use the adverb form. Finnish often forms adverbs from adjectives with the -in ending:

hidas → hitaasti (slow → slowly, this one uses -sti, another common pattern)
aikainen → aikaisin (early → early (in time))

What case is aamulla, and why do we use it for “in the morning”?

Aamulla is in the adessive case.

aamu – morning
aamulla – on the morning, used to mean in the morning

In Finnish, you don’t use prepositions like “in” or “on” for time expressions. Instead, you add a case ending to the noun. Common time-related cases:

-lla/-llä (adessive): aamulla – in the morning, iltapäivällä – in the afternoon
-ssa/-ssä (inessive): yössä – in the night (less common in this meaning, but used in some fixed expressions)

So aamulla is literally “on morning” but is understood as “in the morning.”

Could I say aamuisin instead of aamulla? What’s the difference?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

aamulla – in the morning (a specific or typical morning)
aamuisin – in the mornings / every morning (habitual, repeated action)

Compare:

Nousen aikaisin aamulla. – I get up early in the morning.
(Could refer to a specific morning or be generally true; context decides.)
Nousen aikaisin aamuisin. – I get up early in the mornings / every morning.
(Clearly habitual, a routine.)

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Aamulla nousen aikaisin?

The word order is fairly flexible in Finnish, and Aamulla nousen aikaisin is correct.

All of these are grammatically fine:

Minä nousen aikaisin aamulla.
Nousen aikaisin aamulla.
Aamulla nousen aikaisin.
Aikaisin aamulla nousen.

The basic meaning stays the same, but word order can affect emphasis:

Starting with Aamulla highlights the time: In the morning, I get up early.
Starting with Aikaisin highlights how early it is: Early in the morning is when I get up.

What’s the difference between nousta and herätä?

Both can be translated as to get up / to wake up, but they’re different actions:

herätä – to wake up (become awake)
nousta – to get up, to rise (physically stand up or get out of bed)

Example:

Herään aikaisin aamulla. – I wake up early in the morning.
Nousen aikaisin aamulla. – I get up early in the morning.

You might wake up early but stay in bed; that would use herätä, not nousta. In everyday speech people sometimes blur them, but the basic distinction is useful.

How do I say “I will get up early tomorrow morning” based on this sentence?

Finnish often uses the present tense for future actions when the time is clear from context.

You can say:

Nousen aikaisin huomenna aamulla. – I will get up early tomorrow morning.

Breakdown:

Nousen – I (will) get up (present tense used for future)
aikaisin – early
huomenna aamulla – tomorrow morning

You don’t need a separate future tense like English will or shall.

Is aikaisin aamulla redundant, since both seem to talk about time?

It’s not redundant; they add different information:

aikaisin – how early (time-of-day position: early rather than late)
aamulla – when (part of the day: in the morning)

Together aikaisin aamulla = early in the morning.
If you remove one:

Nousen aikaisin. – I get up early. (no part of day)
Nousen aamulla. – I get up in the morning. (no information about how early)

How is nousen pronounced, and where does the stress go?

Pronunciation (rough guide):

nousen ≈ noh-oo-sen (said smoothly as one word)
- ou is a diphthong, like English “oh” + “oo” gliding together.
Stress in Finnish is always on the first syllable of the word:
- NOU-sen
- AI-kai-sin
- AA-mul-la

Each vowel is clearly pronounced, and there are no silent letters.

If Finnish usually drops subject pronouns, is Minä nousen aikaisin aamulla too formal or strange?

No, it’s completely natural and not too formal. It just has a bit more emphasis on minä.

Possible nuances:

Neutral, simple statement:
- Nousen aikaisin aamulla.
Emphasizing I (contrast, insistence):
- Minä nousen aikaisin aamulla.
  (I get up early in the morning, maybe others don’t.)

In many learners’ materials, minä is included to make it clear which form is which, but in real speech, Finns often omit it unless there’s a reason to highlight the subject.