Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

I save the file to the computer.

Breakdown of Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

• minä: I
• tietokone: the computer
• -lle: to
• tiedosto: the file
• tallentaa: to save

Questions & Answers about Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

What does each word in Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle mean, and what grammatical form is it in?

• Minä = I
  
  • Personal pronoun, 1st person singular, nominative.
• tallennan = (I) save / (I) am saving / (I) will save
  
  • Verb tallentaa (to save [a file], to record), present tense, 1st person singular indicative.
• tiedoston = the / this / that file (as a complete object)
  
  • Noun tiedosto (file), singular genitive form, used here as a total object (often called “genitive-accusative”).
• tietokoneelle = to the computer / onto the computer
  
  • Noun tietokone (computer) + -lle (allative case ending “onto / to / for”).

So literally: I save (the) file onto (the) computer.

Why is it Minä tallennan and not just tallennan? Can I drop minä?

You can absolutely drop minä here.

• Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.
• Tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

In Finnish, the verb ending -n in tallennan already shows that the subject is I (1st person singular), so the pronoun minä is usually optional.

Usage nuance:

• Including minä often adds emphasis:
  
  • Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle. = I will save the file (not someone else).
• Omitting minä sounds more neutral and natural in everyday speech and writing.

What tense is tallennan, and can it also mean “I will save”?

Tallennan is in the present tense (present indicative).

Finnish does not have a separate future tense. Instead, the present tense can express:

• An action happening right now:
  
  • Tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle. = I’m saving the file to the computer (now).
• A future action, if the context makes that clear:
  
  • Huomenna tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle. = Tomorrow I’ll save the file to the computer.

So tallennan can mean I save, I am saving, or I will save, depending on context.

How is the verb tallentaa conjugated, and why does it become tallennan?

Tallentaa is a regular type 1 Finnish verb (basic form ends in -aa).

Present indicative conjugation:

• minä tallennan = I save
• sinä tallennat = you save (singular)
• hän tallentaa = he/she saves
• me tallennamme = we save
• te tallennatte = you save (plural / formal)
• he tallentavat = they save

Pattern:

• Stem: tallenta-
• Add personal endings:
  
  • -n → tallennan (I)
  • -t → tallennat (you)
  • etc.

So tallennan is tallenta- (stem) + -n (1st person singular).

Why is it tiedoston and not tiedosto or tiedostoa?

This is about object case.

• tiedosto = basic (nominative) form
• tiedoston = genitive form (ending -n)
• tiedostoa = partitive form (ending -a/-ä)

In this sentence, the file is a complete object of a completed action (you are saving the whole file once). For a total object in this structure, Finnish usually uses:

• Genitive form for a singular non-pronoun object → tiedoston

So:

• Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.
  = I (will) save the entire file to the computer (one concrete, complete file).

If you used other forms, the meaning would change:

• tiedosto (nominative object) occurs with some structures (like certain passive forms, imperatives, etc.), but here the standard choice is tiedoston.
• tiedostoa (partitive) would suggest an incomplete, partial, or ongoing action (see next question).

When would I say tallennan tiedostoa instead of tallennan tiedoston?

Tiedostoa (partitive) as an object often signals that:

• The action is ongoing, incomplete, or not about the whole thing, or
• The quantity is indefinite or not delimited.

Contrast:

• Tallennan tiedoston.
  
  • I am saving the whole file / the action is seen as complete.
• Tallennan tiedostoa.
  
  • I’m in the process of saving a file.
  • Focus on the ongoing activity, not on finishing it.

In normal “I saved the file” contexts, tiedoston is standard. Tiedostoa is more like describing the activity of saving, especially if the end result (completion) is not in focus.

What does the ending -lle in tietokoneelle mean?

The ending -lle marks the allative case in Finnish.

Allative roughly means:

• onto a surface
• to a person or thing as a target or recipient
• sometimes for someone/something

Examples:

• pöydälle = onto the table
• lapselle = to / for the child
• minulle = to / for me

So:

• tietokone = computer
• tietokoneelle = onto / to the computer

In digital contexts, tietokoneelle is idiomatic for saving a file “to a computer” (conceptualized like putting it onto a device or its storage).

Shouldn’t it be tietokoneeseen (“into the computer”) instead of tietokoneelle?

You could say tietokoneeseen, and it would be understandable:

• tietokoneeseen = into the computer (illative case, -seen / -an / etc.)

Nuance:

• tietokoneelle (allative, onto/to)
  
  • Very common and idiomatic when talking about saving / moving files to a computer.
  • Think of it as “to that device”.
• tietokoneeseen (illative, into)
  
  • Feels more like physically going inside something.
  • With files, it’s less conventional, though not impossible.

Finnish often treats devices like locations you put things onto:

• Tallennan tiedoston koneelle. = I save the file to the (computer) device.

So tietokoneelle is the natural choice in this sentence.

Is the word order fixed, or can I rearrange the words?

The basic, most neutral order is:

• (Minä) tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

But Finnish word order is fairly flexible. You can move elements for emphasis or style, as the grammatical roles are largely shown by endings. For example:

• Tiedoston tallennan tietokoneelle.
  
  • Puts emphasis on tiedoston (the file is what I’m saving).
• Tietokoneelle tallennan tiedoston.
  
  • Emphasis on tietokoneelle (to that place/computer).

However, for a learner, stick with:

• Tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.

It is natural and always correct in neutral contexts.

What is the difference between tallentaa, säästää, and tallettaa in contexts like saving a file?

All three can relate to “saving” in English, but they are used differently:

• tallentaa

  • Main verb for saving digital data, files, or recording (audio, video):
    
    • Tallennan tiedoston. = I save the file.
    • Tallennan videon. = I record/save the video.

• säästää

  • Means to save in the sense of saving money, saving time, saving energy:
    
    • Säästän rahaa. = I save money.
    • Säästän aikaa. = I save time.
  • Not used for saving computer files.

• tallettaa

  • Mostly to deposit (money) in a bank or similar:
    
    • Tallettan rahaa pankkiin. = I deposit money in the bank.
  • Not used for normal file saving.

So for computer files, tallentaa is the correct verb.

There’s no word for “the” in the Finnish sentence. How do I know if it means “a file” or “the file”?

Finnish has no articles (no a/an/the). Definiteness is usually shown by context, word order, and cases, not by separate words.

In this sentence:

• tiedoston (genitive object) plus a normal context like file-saving will usually be understood as the file (some specific file you’re talking about).

If you want to be very explicitly specific or previously mentioned, you can use demonstratives:

• Minä tallennan sen tiedoston tietokoneelle.
  = I (will) save that file to the computer.

But usually, tiedoston here is read as the file in English translation.

How would I say the same thing politely to someone, like “I’ll save the file to your computer”?

You can adapt the sentence like this:

• Tallennan tiedoston tietokoneellesi.
  
  • tietokoneellesi = to your computer (tietokone
    • -lle
      • -si “your”).

If you want to sound slightly more polite or formal, you could also say:

• Voisin tallentaa tiedoston tietokoneellesi.
  
  • I could save the file to your computer.

But structurally it’s the same pattern:
(Minä) tallennan + tiedoston + tietokoneelle(si).

Is Minä tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle more spoken or written, and does it sound natural?

It is perfectly natural and fine in both spoken and written Finnish.

• In everyday speech, people often drop minä and may shorten tietokone to kone:

  • Tallennan tiedoston koneelle.

• In neutral writing (emails, instructions, UI text examples),

  • Tallennan tiedoston tietokoneelle.
    is clear, correct, and idiomatic.