Learn Hardcore Finnish: Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monta kertaa. - I try to improve my pronunciation by listening to the same sentences many times.

ääntäminen = “pronunciation” / “the act of pronouncing” (noun formed from the verb ääntää, “to pronounce”)
ääntämistä = partitive singular of ääntäminen
→ “(some) pronunciation”, “pronunciation” as an incomplete / not‑totally‑finished thing
ääntämistäni = ääntämistä
- -ni (1st person singular possessive suffix “my”)
  → “my pronunciation” as a partitive object

So grammatically ääntämistäni means “my pronunciation” in the partitive case, used here as the object of parantaa (“to improve”).

Why is ääntämistäni in the partitive case here?

In Finnish, the object’s case often tells you something about how “complete” the action is.

Total object (often genitive/accusative) is used when you affect or complete the thing as a whole:
- Luet kirjan. – “You read the book (from start to finish).”
Partitive object is used when:
- the action is incomplete or ongoing,
- the amount is indefinite,
- or the verb itself prefers the partitive.

With parantaa (“to improve”), you’re usually not completing or exhausting the object; you’re just making it better to some degree. So the object naturally appears in the partitive:

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni.
→ “I’m trying to improve my pronunciation (somewhat / in general).”

Using a non‑partitive object here would suggest something like improving it as a “whole finished thing”, which is not how this idea is normally expressed.

Could I say ääntämiseni instead of ääntämistäni? What would change?

Ääntämiseni is also “my pronunciation”, but it is nominative / total object rather than partitive:

ääntämiseni = nominative / total object: “my pronunciation (as a whole thing)”
ääntämistäni = partitive object: “my pronunciation (in an ongoing / partial sense)”

In this sentence:

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni. is the normal and idiomatic form.
Yritän parantaa ääntämiseni. is grammatically possible but sounds stiff and unusual, because parantaa very often takes a partitive object in this kind of “gradual improvement” meaning.

So you should prefer ääntämistäni here.

Can I say Yritän parantaa minun ääntämistäni or Yritän parantaa minun ääntämistä? Are these correct?

All of these are understandable, but they differ in style and emphasis.

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni.
- Most compact and neutral.
- Standard written Finnish; no extra emphasis on “my”.
Yritän parantaa minun ääntämistäni.
- minun (genitive “my”) + possessive suffix -ni = “double marking” of possession.
- Correct and fairly standard, with a bit of extra emphasis on “my pronunciation (not someone else’s)”.
Yritän parantaa minun ääntämistä.
- Possession only via minun, no suffix on ääntämistä.
- Common in spoken / informal Finnish.
- In formal written Finnish, many style guides still prefer the version with the possessive suffix: minun ääntämistäni or just ääntämistäni.

For learners, the safest choice in writing is ääntämistäni. If you want to stress the possessor, minun ääntämistäni is fine.

What verb form is kuuntelemalla, and what does it literally mean?

Kuuntelemalla is the 3rd infinitive in the adessive case of the verb kuunnella (“to listen”).

Formation (simplified):

verb: kuunnella (“to listen”)
3rd infinitive -ma/-mä stem: kuuntelema-
adessive ending -lla → kuuntelemalla

Function:

3rd infinitive in -lla means “by doing X / through doing X”:
- lukemalla = “by reading”
- kysymällä = “by asking”
- kuuntelemalla = “by listening”

So kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monta kertaa literally means “by listening to the same sentences many times” and expresses the method by which you are trying to improve your pronunciation.

Why is it samoja lauseita and not samat lauseet?

There are two things going on:

Case and number agreement
- samoja is partitive plural of sama (“same”).
- lauseita is partitive plural of lause (“sentence”).
- They agree: samoja lauseita = “(some) same sentences”.
Partitive object with “listening”
- The implied verb with kuuntelemalla is kuunnella (“to listen to”).
- Kuunnella very often takes a partitive object when:
  - the listening is ongoing or repeated, or
  - the amount is not “one whole completed thing”.

So:

kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita = “by (repeatedly / for some time) listening to the same sentences”

You can say samat lauseet in some contexts, e.g.:

Kuuntelin samat lauseet kerran läpi. – “I listened to the same sentences once through.”

That tends to highlight one complete pass through a fixed set. In your sentence, the focus is more on habit/repetition as a learning method, so samoja lauseita (partitive) feels more natural.

Is lauseita in the partitive because of monta kertaa?

No, lauseita is in the partitive because it is the object of listening (the thing being listened to), not because of monta kertaa.

kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita
→ “by listening to the same sentences”
Here, samoja lauseita = object of kuunnella / kuuntelemalla, and kuunnella typically uses a partitive object for this kind of repeated / not-fully-delimited listening.
monta kertaa is a separate adverbial phrase:
- monta = “many”
- kertaa = partitive singular of kerta (“time, occasion”)
- together: “many times”

So lauseita is not governed by monta kertaa; it’s governed by the (implied) verb kuunnella.

How does monta kertaa work grammatically? Why monta + kertaa?

In Finnish, numerals (including “many”) normally take a partitive singular noun after them:

kolme kertaa – “three times” (3 + partitive singular of kerta)
viisi kirjaa – “five books”
monta kertaa – “many times”

Here:

moni is the base word “many”.
monta is its partitive singular form, used like a numeral.
kerta (“time, occasion”) has partitive singular kertaa.

So monta kertaa literally follows the “number + partitive singular” pattern and means “many times”.

Could I say monia kertoja or monet kerrat instead of monta kertaa? Do they mean the same?

They’re related but not identical in use.

monta kertaa
- Most common and neutral way to say “many times”.
- Numeral‑like structure: monta
  - partitive singular.
- Perfectly natural in your sentence.
monia kertoja
- monia = partitive plural of moni (“many”)
- kertoja = partitive plural of kerta
- Also “many times”, but feels a bit more formal / literary or slightly heavier in style.
- Kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monia kertoja is grammatical and understandable, just a little less colloquial.
monet kerrat
- monet = nominative plural of moni
- kerrat = nominative plural of kerta
- More like “the many times”, often used as a subject or object:
  - Monet kerrat olen ajatellut luovuttaa. – “Many times I’ve thought about giving up.”
- As a pure adverbial in your sentence, monet kerrat would sound unusual.

So for your sentence, monta kertaa is the most natural and recommended choice.

Why is the structure Yritän parantaa [jotakin] with an infinitive, and not something like yritän parantamaan?

The verb yrittää (“to try”) is followed by the 1st infinitive (the basic dictionary form) of the next verb:

Yritän parantaa. – “I try to improve.”
Yritän oppia suomea. – “I’m trying to learn Finnish.”
Yritän muistaa. – “I try to remember.”

So in your sentence:

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni…
= “I’m trying to improve my pronunciation…”

Using parantamaan (3rd infinitive illative -maan/-mään) after yrittää is wrong in standard Finnish:

✗ Yritän parantamaan ääntämistäni.

Some other verbs do take the -maan/-mään form:

Aloin parantamaan… (more standard: Aloin parantaa…)
Pyrin parantamaan ääntämistäni. – “I strive to improve my pronunciation.”

But yrittää specifically wants the basic infinitive: yritän parantaa.

Can the word order be changed, for example: Kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monta kertaa yritän parantaa ääntämistäni? Is that still correct?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible, and that variant is grammatical.

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monta kertaa.
– Neutral order: main clause (yritän parantaa ääntämistäni) first, method (kuuntelemalla…) last.
Kuuntelemalla samoja lauseita monta kertaa yritän parantaa ääntämistäni.
– Puts the method first, highlighting how you’re trying to improve.

Both are correct. The difference is mainly about emphasis and information structure, not grammar.

Could I express the same idea with a finite clause instead of kuuntelemalla? For example: Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni, kun kuuntelen samoja lauseita monta kertaa.

Yes, that sentence is grammatical and understandable:

Yritän parantaa ääntämistäni, kun kuuntelen samoja lauseita monta kertaa.
= “I try to improve my pronunciation when I listen to the same sentences many times.”

However, there’s a nuance difference:

kuuntelemalla = “by listening”
→ clearly expresses method / means (this is how you try to improve).
kun kuuntelen = “when I listen”
→ primarily expresses time / circumstance (this is when you are trying to improve, though from context the method is still understandable).

So the original with kuuntelemalla focuses more directly on the method of improvement, which is usually what you want in this learning context.