Learn Hardcore Finnish: Kun luen rauhassa, nautin suomen kielestä enemmän. - When I read in peace, I enjoy the Finnish language more.

kun = when (at the time that, whenever)
- Kun luen rauhassa, … → When(ever) I read in peace, …
jos = if (a condition that may or may not happen)
- Jos luen rauhassa, … → If I (happen to) read in peace, …

So jos would slightly change the meaning: it would sound more hypothetical/conditional. Kun states what generally happens whenever that situation occurs.

What exactly is luen, and why is there no minä in front of it?

luen is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb lukea (to read).

Verb: lukea → stem lue-
1st person singular ending: -n
lue- + -n → luen = I read / I am reading

Finnish usually drops personal pronouns (minä, sinä, etc.) because the verb ending already shows the person:

Luen. = I read / I am reading.
Minä luen. = same meaning, but minä is used for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:
- Minä luen rauhassa, sinä selailet puhelinta.
  I read in peace, you scroll on your phone.

So the sentence is natural and complete without minä.

What form is rauhassa, and why does it mean “peacefully / in peace”?

rauhassa is the inessive case of rauha (peace).

Nominative: rauha = peace
Inessive (inside / in): rauhassa = in peace

In Finnish, the inessive (-ssa/-ssä) is often used to create an adverbial phrase:

rauhassa – in peace, calmly, without disturbance
yksin – alone (different pattern, but similar adverbial idea)
kotona (from koti
- -na) – at home

In English you’d use an adverb (peacefully) or a prepositional phrase (in peace). In Finnish, a noun in a case very often fills that role, so rauhassa works like an adverb here: when I read calmly / in peace.

Why is there a comma after rauhassa?

Finnish uses a comma between a subordinate clause and the main clause.

Kun luen rauhassa, = subordinate time clause (“when I read in peace”)
nautin suomen kielestä enemmän. = main clause (“I enjoy Finnish more.”)

Rule applied:
Subordinate clause , main clause

If you flip the order, you usually don’t need the comma:

Nautin suomen kielestä enemmän kun luen rauhassa.
(Many writers still put a comma; practice varies, but in your sentence order the comma is required.)

What does nautin mean, and why doesn’t it have a direct object like in English?

nautin is the 1st person singular present of nauttia.

nauttia = to enjoy; to take pleasure (in something)
nautin = I enjoy / I take pleasure

The key point: nauttia normally takes its “object” in the elative case (-sta/-stä), not the direct object case.

nauttia + elative (mistä?)
- Nautin musiikista. – I enjoy music.
- Nautin tästä kirjasta. – I enjoy this book.
- Nautin kesästä. – I enjoy summer.

In your sentence:

nautin suomen kielestä
→ literally “I enjoy from the Finnish language,” i.e. I enjoy the Finnish language.

So the language you enjoy appears in the elative, not as a direct object.

Why is it suomen kielestä and not just suomea?

Both refer to the Finnish language, but they are structured differently and used with different verbs.

suomen kielestä
- suomen = genitive of suomi (Finnish / Finland), here meaning of Finnish
- kieli = language
- kielestä = elative of kieli (from the language)
- Together: suomen kielestä = from the Finnish language → the Finnish language (as a phrase)
This matches the pattern:
- nauttia + elative → nautin suomen kielestä
suomea
- suomi in partitive: some / (the) Finnish (language)
- used with many other verbs:
  - puhun suomea – I speak Finnish.
  - opiskelen suomea – I study Finnish.
  - luen suomea – I read (in) Finnish.

With nauttia, the standard, correct form is the elative:
✅ nautin suomen kielestä
❌ nautin suomea (unidiomatic/incorrect in standard Finnish)

So here you say suomen kielestä because nauttia requires that case pattern.

Can you break down the cases in suomen kielestä?

Yes, it’s a small chain of case relationships:

suomi – “Finnish” (language / country)
suomen – genitive of suomi
→ of Finnish (used as an attribute: “Finnish …”)
kieli – “language”
kielestä – elative of kieli (from the language)

Structure:

suomen kieli – “the Finnish language”
suomen kielestä – from the Finnish language (elative of the whole phrase)

So grammatically, kielestä is the main word in elative, and suomen just describes which language.

What does enemmän mean exactly, and is it related to a comparative form?

enemmän means “more” (in quantity or degree).

It’s the comparative adverb corresponding roughly to:
- adjective: enempi (rare; usually people just use enemmän)
- superlative adverb: eniten – the most

Usage:

Pidän tästä enemmän. – I like this more.
Syön tänään enemmän kuin eilen. – I eat more today than yesterday.
Nautin suomen kielestä enemmän. – I enjoy Finnish (the language) more.

So enemmän is the normal word you use to say “more” about how much you enjoy something, how much you eat, etc.

Why is enemmän at the end of the sentence? Could it go somewhere else?

Word order in Finnish is relatively flexible, and enemmän can move, but the nuance changes slightly.

Your version:

Nautin suomen kielestä enemmän.
→ Neutral; slight emphasis on the amount (how much) you enjoy it.

You could also say:

Nautin enemmän suomen kielestä.
→ Slightly more emphasis on the verb/enjoyment; often interpreted as a contrast:
- Nautin enemmän suomen kielestä kuin ruotsista.
  I enjoy Finnish more than Swedish.

Both are grammatically correct.

Putting enemmän at the very end is very common and feels natural in many contexts when you’re just stating “I enjoy it more.”

Does Kun luen rauhassa, nautin suomen kielestä enemmän. talk about the present, the future, or a general habit?

The Finnish present tense often covers:

present time,
near future, and
general truths / habits.

Here, the most natural reading is a general habit or tendency:

Whenever I read in peace, I (tend to) enjoy Finnish more.

In context, it can also refer to the future:

Kun luen rauhassa tänä iltana, nautin suomen kielestä enemmän.
When I read in peace tonight, I will enjoy Finnish more.

So the tense itself is present, but the interpretation (present habit vs. future event) comes from context.