Learn Hardcore Finnish: Tämä keskustelufoorumi on rauhallinen paikka kysyä suomeksi. - This discussion forum is a calm place to ask things in Finnish.

Tämä = this (demonstrative pronoun / determiner)
keskustelufoorumi = discussion forum (keskustelu “discussion” + foorumi “forum”)
on = is (3rd person singular of olla “to be”)
rauhallinen = calm, peaceful, quiet (adjective)
paikka = place
kysyä = to ask (basic infinitive of kysyä)
suomeksi = in Finnish (literally “as Finnish / in the Finnish way”)

Structure in English terms:

Subject: Tämä keskustelufoorumi = This discussion forum
Verb (copula): on = is
Predicative (what the subject is): rauhallinen paikka = a calm/peaceful place
Infinitive phrase of purpose: kysyä suomeksi = to ask (questions) in Finnish

So the whole thing is:
“This discussion forum is a calm place to ask (questions) in Finnish.”

Why is keskustelufoorumi written as one long word in Finnish instead of keskustelu foorumi?

Finnish normally writes compound nouns as a single word:

keskustelu = discussion
foorumi = forum
keskustelufoorumi = discussion forum

This is just how Finnish orthography works:
Noun + noun → one compound noun.

Some similar examples:

opiskelija (student) + kortti (card) → opiskelijakortti (student card)
työ (work) + huone (room) → työhuone (workroom/office)

If you wrote keskustelu foorumi as two words, it would sound wrong, like saying “discussion forum” as “discussion forum” but treating them as two separate concepts, not one established term.

Pronunciation: the main stress is still on the first syllable of the whole compound:

KES-kus-te-lu-fo-o-ru-mi

What’s the difference between Tämä keskustelufoorumi and just Tämä foorumi or Tämä on rauhallinen paikka…?

All are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

Tämä keskustelufoorumi on rauhallinen paikka…
- Very clear and specific: this discussion forum (as opposed to some other kind of forum).
- Natural if you’re introducing what kind of site/place it is.
Tämä foorumi on rauhallinen paikka…
- Shorter, more casual: this forum.
- Fine if context already makes it clear it’s an online discussion forum.
Tämä on rauhallinen paikka kysyä suomeksi.
- Literally: This is a calm place to ask in Finnish.
- Tämä here acts like “this place / this thing (we’re in/on)” without specifying it’s a forum.
- Natural if everyone already knows what “this” refers to (e.g. you’re already on the site).

So the original sentence is simply the most explicit: it names the forum type and comments on it.

What form is rauhallinen, and how does it work with paikka in this sentence?

Rauhallinen is an adjective meaning calm / peaceful / quiet. Here:

rauhallinen (adjective)
paikka (noun, “place”)

Both are in the nominative singular, because:

The verb on (“is”) links the subject (Tämä keskustelufoorumi) to a predicative that describes it: rauhallinen paikka.

In Finnish:

Subject in nominative → predicative usually also in nominative.

So we get:

Tämä keskustelufoorumi (subject, nominative)
on (copula)
rauhallinen paikka (predicative phrase, nominative)

If you changed the case of paikka, the meaning would change (for example, rauhallisessa paikassa = “in a calm place”).

Why is it paikka kysyä and not something like paikka kysymiseen? How does “place to do something” work in Finnish?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different styles and nuances.

paikka kysyä
- kysyä is the basic infinitive = to ask.
- This pattern noun + basic infinitive is common for purposes or typical activities:
  - paikka istua = a place to sit
  - aika syödä = time to eat
- It’s quite natural, often a bit more neutral or spoken-like.
paikka kysymiseen
- kysymiseen is the illative of the 3rd infinitive of kysyä.
- This construction often expresses purpose in a slightly more formal / written way:
  - tila kokousten pitämiseen = a space for holding meetings
- So paikka kysymiseen suomeksi would be “a place for asking (questions) in Finnish”. It’s correct, just more formal-sounding.

In everyday usage, paikka kysyä suomeksi is natural and perfectly correct.

What exactly is kysyä here, and why is there no personal ending on it?

Kysyä is the basic infinitive (sometimes called the 1st infinitive) of the verb meaning to ask.

Key points:

Infinitive form: kysyä = to ask
- I ask = kysyn
- you ask = kysyt
- he/she asks = kysyy
In paikka kysyä, the infinitive is used as a general action, not tied to any person:
- Literally “a place to ask”.

There is no personal ending (like -n, -t, -mme) because we are not conjugating “I ask”, “you ask”, etc.; we are just describing the kind of place it is: a place to ask (in general, for anyone).

What form is suomeksi, and why does it mean “in Finnish”?

Suomeksi is:

The essive case of suomi (“Finnish language”).
Base form: suomi
Essive singular: suomeksi

The essive often expresses “as / in the role of / in the form of”. With languages it’s very common:

suomeksi = in Finnish
englanniksi = in English
ruotsiksi = in Swedish
venäjäksi = in Russian

So kysyä suomeksi literally means “to ask as Finnish / in the Finnish way”, which is idiomatically “to ask in Finnish”.

A more formal alternative is:

kysyä suomen kielellä = to ask “with the Finnish language”
But suomeksi is much more common and natural.

Where is the word “questions”? Why can Finnish say kysyä suomeksi without an object?

In English you tend to say:

“a place to ask questions in Finnish.”

In Finnish, you can often leave out an obvious object if the meaning is clear. Kysyä already strongly implies “ask (questions)”, so:

kysyä suomeksi = to ask (questions) in Finnish
(the word for “questions” is understood)

This is common with many verbs:

Luen suomeksi. = I read (something) in Finnish.
Kirjoitan suomeksi. = I write (something) in Finnish.

You could add an object if you really wanted to:

kysyä kysymyksiä suomeksi = to ask questions in Finnish

But in this context it’s usually unnecessary and would sound a bit heavier.

Can I change the word order, like Tämä keskustelufoorumi on rauhallinen paikka suomeksi kysyä? Is that natural?

Grammatically you can move words around, but not all orders sound natural.

Tämä keskustelufoorumi on rauhallinen paikka kysyä suomeksi.
- Most natural: a calm place to ask in Finnish.
Tämä keskustelufoorumi on rauhallinen paikka suomeksi kysyä.
- Understandable but sounds a bit awkward.
- Finnish usually keeps the verb + language adverb together: kysyä suomeksi.

In general:

Keep the verb and its closely related adverbials (like suomeksi) together:
- kirjoittaa suomeksi
- puhua englanniksi
- kysyä suomeksi

So the original order is the most idiomatic.

How might this sentence look in more casual spoken Finnish?

A natural casual/spoken version could be:

Tää foorumi on rauhallinen paikka kysyä suomeks.

Changes:

Tämä → Tää (spoken form of “this”)
keskustelufoorumi → foorumi (shorter, context usually clear)
suomeksi → suomeks (final -i often dropped in speech)

The structure and meaning stay the same; it just sounds more like everyday conversation.