Breakdown of Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista, vaikka ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
Questions & Answers about Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista, vaikka ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
In this meaning, pitää (Pidän) always takes the elative case (ending -sta / -stä) for the thing you like.
- pitää + elative = to like something
- Pidän kahvista. = I like coffee.
- Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista. = I like this dark coffee.
So kahvi (basic form) → kahvista (elative singular).
If you said Pidän kahvi, it would be grammatically wrong in this sense.
All three words are in the same case, because they all belong to the same noun phrase:
- tämä (this) → tästä (from this)
- tumma (dark) → tummasta (from dark)
- kahvi (coffee) → kahvista (from coffee)
The case is elative singular (ending -sta / -stä), required by pitää in the meaning to like.
In Finnish, determiners and adjectives agree in case and number with the noun:
- tästä (demonstrative)
- tummasta (adjective)
- kahvista (noun)
Together: tästä tummasta kahvista = (from) this dark coffee → this dark coffee after Pidän.
Both words are in the partitive singular:
- vaalea → vaaleaa
- kahvi → kahvia
Here, vaaleaa kahvia means light coffee in general / some light coffee, not one specific cup that has already been identified.
Reasons for partitive here:
- kahvia treats coffee as an uncountable mass (some coffee, coffee in general).
- vaaleaa agrees with kahvia in case and number.
If you say:
- Ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
= My friend prefers to drink light coffee (as a type / in general).
If you used vaalea kahvi, it would sound like one specific light coffee (for example, a particular brand or cup already known in the context).
The different cases reflect different constructions and meanings.
Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista
- The verb pitää (to like) requires elative (-sta / -stä).
- So: tummasta kahvista (from dark coffee) → this dark coffee.
ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia
- The verb juoda (to drink) normally takes the partitive (-a/-ä) for an uncountable substance (some coffee).
- So: vaaleaa kahvia (some light coffee / light coffee in general).
There is also a meaning difference:
- tästä tummasta kahvista = this specific dark coffee (for example, the coffee we are currently drinking).
- vaaleaa kahvia = light coffee in general or some light coffee, not a particular identified portion.
Ystäväni means my friend.
- ystävä = friend
- -ni = my (a possessive suffix)
So:
- ystäväni = my friend
- ystäväsi = your (singular) friend
- ystävänsä = his / her / their friend
Finnish can mark possession with these suffixes instead of a separate word like my.
Both are possible:
- ystäväni = my friend
- minun ystäväni = my friend (more explicit, sometimes slightly more emphatic)
You do not need minun; the -ni already shows my.
Common patterns:
- Neutral, normal: Ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
- Slight emphasis or contrast: Minun ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
In everyday speech, people very often use just the possessive suffix without minun unless they want to stress the owner.
Mieluummin is an adverb meaning rather / more willingly / preferably.
It is the comparative form of mielellään / mielellään-type expressions (connected to mieli, mind/liking):
- mielellään = gladly
- mieluummin = more gladly, rather
In English terms:
- juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia
≈ drinks light coffee rather / preferably
≈ prefers to drink light coffee
You will often see it used to express preference:
- Menen mieluummin kotiin. = I would rather go home.
- Syön mieluummin kalaa kuin lihaa. = I prefer to eat fish rather than meat.
The position in the sentence is quite flexible, but juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia is the most natural order:
- verb (juo)
- adverb (mieluummin)
- object (vaaleaa kahvia)
Other possibilities:
- Ystäväni mieluummin juo vaaleaa kahvia.
– Possible, but a bit more marked in rhythm / emphasis. - Ystäväni juo vaaleaa kahvia mieluummin.
– Also possible, might sound like you are contrasting how the coffee is drunk with something else; context matters.
For learners, the safest and most neutral is:
subject + juo mieluummin + object
In this sentence, vaikka means although / even though:
- Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista, vaikka ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
= I like this dark coffee, although my friend prefers to drink light coffee.
Comparison:
- mutta = but (simple contrast)
- vaikka = although / even though (concessive: X happens despite Y)
Examples:
- Pidän tästä kahvista, mutta ystäväni ei pidä siitä.
= I like this coffee, but my friend does not. - Pidän tästä kahvista, vaikka ystäväni ei pidä siitä.
= I like this coffee, even though my friend does not.
So vaikka is stronger and specifically expresses that something happens despite another fact.
Yes, the comma is normally used before vaikka when it starts a clause:
- Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista, vaikka ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia.
You can also reverse the order of the clauses:
- Vaikka ystäväni juo mieluummin vaaleaa kahvia, pidän tästä tummasta kahvista.
In both orders:
- vaikka-clause = the background / concession (friend’s preference)
- main clause = your own preference (you like this dark coffee)
The meaning stays the same; only the emphasis and flow change slightly.
Pidän is:
- from the verb pitää
- in present tense
- 1st person singular (I)
Form:
- stem: pitä-
- ending: -n (I)
→ pidän
Literal meaning depends on the structure:
- pitää jostakin (elative) = to like something
- Pidän tästä tummasta kahvista. = I like this dark coffee.
- pitää kiinni = to hold on
- pitää tauko = to take a break
- pitää esitelmä = to give a presentation
So in this sentence, Pidän specifically means I like, because it is followed by an elative (tästä tummasta kahvista).