Learn Hardcore Finnish: Joskus tuijotan ikkunasta ulos ja mietin, mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella. - Sometimes I stare out of the window and think about what I really want to study.

Just ikkunasta could also appear, but it’s vaguer: I stare from the window. Adding ulos clarifies to the outside, not e.g. at the window frame, curtains, etc.

What is the difference between tuijotan and katson?

Both involve looking, but:

katsoa = to look, to watch (neutral)
tuijottaa = to stare, to gaze (more intense, often longer, sometimes a bit absent-minded)

So tuijotan ikkunasta ulos suggests you’re just staring out, maybe daydreaming, not just casually taking a glance.

Why is joskus at the beginning? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes, joskus (sometimes) is flexible in position:

Joskus tuijotan ikkunasta ulos… (neutral, very natural)
Tuijotan joskus ikkunasta ulos… (also fine; slightly more focus on the verb first)
Tuijotan ikkunasta ulos joskus… (possible, but feels a bit heavier / more marked in style)

Placing joskus first gives it a gentle emphasis: Sometimes, I (do this)…. In Finnish, adverbs like joskus, usein, yleensä often appear near the beginning, similar to English.

Why is there a comma before mitä?

The comma marks the beginning of a subordinate (dependent) clause:

Main clause: …ja mietin
Subordinate clause: mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella

In Finnish, you normally put a comma before a clause that is introduced by words like että, koska, kun, jos, vaikka, mitä, kuka, missä, milloin, etc., when they start a subordinate clause.

Here, mitä introduces an indirect question (what I really want to study), so the comma is required.

Why does the clause look like mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella and not like a direct question word order?

The direct question would be:

Mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella? = What do I really want to study?

In a direct question, the verb usually comes right after the question word.

But in an indirect question (embedded inside another sentence), Finnish uses a normal declarative word order after the question word:

…mietin, mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella.
- mitä – what
- oikeasti – really
- haluan – I want
- opiskella – to study

So: I wonder / I think about what I really want to study.

The word order is typical:
question word + adverb(s) + verb + (rest of the predicate)

Why is it mitä and not something like mitä asiaa or minkä?

Here mitä is:

the question word what, and
at the same time the (partitive) object of haluan opiskella.

The verb opiskella (to study) takes a partitive object when it’s about studying some subject/field in general:

Haluan opiskella mitä? → mitä is naturally in the partitive.
A non-question version would be: Haluan opiskella matematiikkaa. (I want to study mathematics.)

You could expand it if you wanted to:

…mitä asiaa oikeasti haluan opiskella (what subject I really want to study)

but Finnish is happy with the bare mitä here.

Why is it haluan opiskella instead of something like haluan opiskelun?

haluan opiskella = I want to study
This is the normal structure for expressing “want to do something”:

haluta + (to-infinitive) → haluan opiskella, haluat syödä, haluamme matkustaa

opiskella is the first infinitive (dictionary) form meaning to study.

opiskelun would be the genitive of the noun opiskelu (studies, studying as a noun).
haluan opiskelun would literally be I want the studying, which doesn’t express I want to study; it sounds wrong in this context.

Why is mietin used here and not ajattelen?

Both verbs are about thinking, but they are used differently:

miettiä = to think about something, to ponder, to reflect, to consider
- Mietin, mitä haluan opiskella. – I’m reflecting on / I’m trying to figure out what I want to study.
ajatella = to think (in a more general sense), to have thoughts, to think of/about something
- Ajattelen sinua. – I’m thinking of you.
- Ajattelen, että… – I think that…

Here, the nuance is pondering, reflecting, so mietin is the most natural verb.

How are the verb forms tuijotan, mietin, and haluan formed?

All three are 1st person singular present tense:

tuijottaa (to stare) → stem: tuijota-
- add -n: tuijotan = I stare
miettiä (to think, to ponder) → stem: mieti- (note consonant gradation tt → t)
- plus -n: mietin = I think / I ponder
haluta (to want) → stem: halua-
- plus -n: haluan = I want

In the present tense, 1st person singular is almost always verb stem + n.

Could oikeasti be placed somewhere else, like mitä haluan oikeasti opiskella?

Yes, Finnish adverbs are fairly mobile, and all of these are possible:

mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella (neutral, common)
mitä haluan oikeasti opiskella (slightly more emphasis on really want)
mitä haluan opiskella oikeasti (can sound a bit more spoken / emotional)

The chosen order mitä oikeasti haluan opiskella sounds very natural, with oikeasti closely tied to the verb haluan and the whole question: what I really want to study.

Why is the present tense (haluan opiskella) used even though this can be about the future?

Finnish often uses the present tense where English would use future:

Haluan opiskella lääketiedettä.
Literally: I want to study medicine.
In context: it typically refers to future plans.

There is no separate will form in Finnish; haluan opiskella covers both a general desire and a future-oriented plan. The time reference comes from context, not from a special future tense.

Could the sentence be Joskus tuijotan ulos ikkunasta instead of ikkunasta ulos?

Yes, tuijotan ulos ikkunasta is also grammatically correct and understandable.

tuijotan ikkunasta ulos is slightly more common / idiomatic as a fixed pattern.
tuijotan ulos ikkunasta puts ulos closer to the verb, but the meaning is basically the same.

Both convey I stare out of the window. Word order here is flexible and mostly affects rhythm and a very subtle feel, not the core meaning.