Learn Hardcore Finnish: Kirjoitan muistikirjaan pienen runon jokaisesta lukukaudesta, jotta muistan, miltä opinnot tuntuivat. - I write a small poem in the notebook about each semester so that I remember how the studies felt.

You use the illative because you are writing into the notebook, i.e. movement or direction towards the inside of something. In Finnish, this is expressed with a case ending instead of a separate preposition like into.

What is going on with pienen runon? Why not just pieni runo or pientä runoa?

Both pienen and runon are in the genitive singular, which is often used for a total object in Finnish.

pieni runo = small poem (basic, nominative form)
pienen runon = (the) whole small poem (as a completed object)
pientä runoa = some (of a) small poem / a poem in progress (partitive)

In this sentence, the idea is that each time you write one whole small poem for each semester. That’s why the object is in the “total” form (pienen runon) instead of the partitive (pientä runoa), which would suggest an incomplete or ongoing action.

Also, note agreement: the adjective matches the noun in case and number:

pieni runo (nominative)
pienen runon (genitive)
pientä runoa (partitive)

What does jokaisesta lukukaudesta literally mean, and why the ending -sta?

Literally, jokaisesta lukukaudesta means “from each semester”.

jokainen = each, every
→ jokaisesta = from each (elative case)
lukukausi = semester
→ lukukaudesta = from the semester (elative case)

The case here is elative (-sta/-stä), which often means “from”. With runo jostakin (“a poem about something”), Finnish usually uses the elative:

runo kesästä = a poem about summer
runo jokaisesta lukukaudesta = a poem about each semester

So the phrase is “a small poem from/about each semester”.

What exactly does jotta do here, and how is it different from että?

Jotta introduces a purpose clause: “so that / in order that”.

Kirjoitan …, jotta muistan …
= I write … so that I remember …

Että is more neutral, usually “that” introducing content:

Tiedän, että muistan. = I know that I remember.

With a clear goal or purpose, Finnish strongly prefers jotta:

Teen muistiinpanoja, jotta en unohtaisi.
I take notes so that I won’t forget.

Using että instead of jotta in this sentence would sound off or at least change the nuance away from a clear purpose.

Why is there a comma before jotta?

Finnish normally puts a comma before any finite subordinate clause, including jotta-clauses.

Main clause: Kirjoitan muistikirjaan pienen runon jokaisesta lukukaudesta
Subordinate clause: jotta muistan, miltä opinnot tuntuivat

These two are separated by a comma. This is a standard punctuation rule in Finnish, not just a stylistic choice.

Why is it muistan and not muistaa?

Muistan is 1st person singular, present tense:

infinitive / dictionary form: muistaa = to remember
minä muistan = I remember
sinä muistat = you remember
hän muistaa = he/she remembers

Finnish usually drops the subject pronoun because the personal ending (-n in muistan) already shows who is doing the action. So muistan on its own means “I remember”.

What does miltä mean in miltä opinnot tuntuivat, and why not miten?

Miltä is the ablative case of mikä (“what”) and in this construction it roughly means “what (they) felt like” / “how (they) felt”.

With the verb tuntua (“to feel, to seem”), Finnish uses miltä:

Miltä se tuntuu? = What does it feel like? / How does it feel?
Opinnot tuntuivat raskailta. = The studies felt heavy.

So:

muistan, miltä opinnot tuntuivat
= I remember what my studies felt like / how my studies felt

Miten is the general adverb “how”, but it does not combine with tuntua in this meaning. You say:

✔ Miltä se tuntuu?
✖ Miten se tuntuu? (unnatural/wrong in this sense)

Why are opinnot and tuntuivat both in the plural?

Opinnot means “studies” and is normally used in the plural when you talk about your studies as a whole.

opinnot = studies
opinto = a single “study unit” / course (more technical)

Since opinnot is plural, the verb must also be 3rd person plural:

Opinnot tuntuvat raskailta. = The studies feel heavy.
Opinnot tuntuivat raskailta. = The studies felt heavy.

So opinnot tuntuivat is just normal subject–verb agreement in number and person.

What form is tuntuivat, and how is it built from tuntua?

Tuntuivat is 3rd person plural, past tense (imperfect) of tuntua.

infinitive: tuntua = to feel, to seem
present, 3rd pl: he tuntuvat = they feel
past (imperfect), 3rd pl: he tuntuivat = they felt

The imperfect is usually formed with -i- before the personal ending:

tuntua → tuntu- + i + vat → tuntuivat

In the sentence, opinnot tuntuivat = “the studies felt”.

Why is the word order miltä opinnot tuntuivat? Could you say opinnot tuntuivat miltä?

In both a direct and an indirect question, the question word comes first:

Direct question: Miltä opinnot tuntuivat?
Embedded (indirect) question: muistan, miltä opinnot tuntuivat

After the question word miltä, the rest of the clause uses normal subject–verb order (opinnot tuntuivat).

Putting miltä at the end (opinnot tuntuivat miltä) would sound very odd and is not how Finnish forms this kind of question or question-like clause.

Could you say muistikirjaani instead of muistikirjaan to mean “into my notebook”?

Yes, Kirjoitan muistikirjaani is possible and would be understood as “I write in/into my notebook.”

muistikirjaan = into (the) notebook (no explicit owner)
muistikirjaani = into my notebook (illative + 1st person possessive)

In many real contexts it’s obvious the notebook is yours, so speakers are happy with muistikirjaan. Using the possessive (muistikirjaani) explicitly emphasizes that it’s your notebook.

Could I also say Kirjoitan jokaisesta lukukaudesta pienen runon? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, Kirjoitan jokaisesta lukukaudesta pienen runon muistikirjaan is grammatically correct and the basic meaning stays the same.

Finnish word order is fairly flexible. The differences are mostly about emphasis and information flow:

Kirjoitan muistikirjaan pienen runon jokaisesta lukukaudesta…
→ starts with where you write (into the notebook), then what you write, then about what (each semester).
Kirjoitan jokaisesta lukukaudesta pienen runon muistikirjaan…
→ starts by highlighting from/about each semester, then what and where.

Both are natural; speakers choose the order that best fits what they want to emphasize.

Why is kirjoitan (present tense) used, even though this seems like something that happens regularly “each semester”?

Finnish uses the present tense both for:

Actions happening right now
Habitual or repeated actions

So kirjoitan can mean:

“I am writing (now)”
“I (usually) write / I write each time”

In this sentence, the time expression jokaisesta lukukaudesta (“from each semester”) tells us it’s a habitual action, so kirjoitan naturally means “I (always) write / I write (as a rule)”. There is no separate “I do / I am doing” distinction like in English.