Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.

The background noise bothers me in the café.

Breakdown of Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.

• -ssa: in
• kahvila: the café
• minua: me
• häiritä: to bother
• taustamelu: the background noise

Questions & Answers about Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.

What is the grammatical subject in this sentence, and how do I know?

The grammatical subject is taustamelu (background noise).

• The verb is häiritsee (3rd person singular).
• The noun taustamelu is in the nominative form (basic form, no ending).
• In Finnish, a noun in the nominative that agrees with the verb in number is typically the subject:
  • Taustamelu häiritsee... = The background noise disturbs...

Why is it häiritsee and not some other form of the verb?

Häiritsee is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb häiritä (to disturb / to bother).

Verb type: Type 5 verb (ending in -itä in the basic form)

• Basic form: häiritä
• Remove -tä → häiri-
• Add person ending for 3rd person singular: -tsee → häiritsee

So:

• hän häiritsee = he/she disturbs
• taustamelu häiritsee = the background noise disturbs

Why is it minua and not minut?

Minua is the partitive form of minä (I / me).

Some verbs in Finnish normally take their object in the partitive, especially when talking about:

• feelings
• mental states
• experiences that “affect” someone

Häiritä belongs to this group, so it usually takes the affected person in the partitive:

• Taustamelu häiritsee minua. = Background noise bothers me.
• Literally: Background noise disturbs of me (grammatically: it affects me, with me in partitive).

Using minut here (Taustamelu häiritsee minut) feels unnatural or wrong; it would sound like the noise is somehow fully completing an action on you (which doesn’t fit the meaning).

What case is minua, exactly, and what are the other cases of minä?

Minua is the partitive singular of minä.

Some key forms:

• Nominative: minä (I)
• Genitive: minun (my / of me)
• Accusative (object, many contexts): minut (me, as whole object)
• Partitive: minua (me, partially / affected / ongoing)
• Inessive: minussa (in me)
• Elative: minusta (from me / about me)
• Illative: minuun (into me)

In this sentence, minua is used because of the verb häiritä, which takes its “object” in the partitive to show a kind of ongoing or experiential effect.

Why is kahvilassa used and not something like kahvila or kahvilaan?

Kahvilassa is the inessive case of kahvila (café).

• kahvila = café (basic form, nominative)
• kahvilassa = in the café / at the café (inside / at that place)
  • inessive ending: -ssa / -ssä

Compare with other local cases:

• kahvilaan (illative) = into the café
• kahvilasta (elative) = out of the café

Here the meaning is about the location where the disturbance happens, so the inessive kahvilassa (in/at the café) is correct.

Does kahvilassa mean “in the café” or “at the café”?

It can mean both “in the café” and “at the café,” depending on context.

Finnish local cases often cover meanings that English splits between in and at:

• Olen kahvilassa.
  
  • I am in the café.
  • I am at the café.

Context (and sometimes extra detail) clarifies whether you mean physically inside or just at that location. In this sentence, either English preposition sounds natural.

Why doesn’t Finnish use any words like “the” or “a” here?

Finnish does not have articles like a/an or the.

• Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.
  • Could be translated as:
    • Background noise bothers me in the café.
    • The background noise bothers me in the café.
    • Background noise bothers me in a café.

Which one is correct in English depends on context, but Finnish expresses that information through context, word order, or additional words, not through articles.

Can I change the word order, like putting minua first?

Yes. Finnish allows flexible word order. Different orders change emphasis, not basic meaning.

Some possible variants:

1. Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.

   • Neutral: “Background noise bothers me in the café.”

2. Minua häiritsee taustamelu kahvilassa.

   • Emphasis on minua: “It’s me that the background noise bothers in the café (maybe not others).”

3. Kahvilassa taustamelu häiritsee minua.

   • Emphasis on kahvilassa: “In the café, the background noise bothers me (maybe not elsewhere).”

All are grammatically correct; the chosen order highlights different parts of the message.

Could I leave out taustamelu and just say Minua häiritsee kahvilassa?

You can say Minua häiritsee kahvilassa, but then the sentence feels incomplete or vague.

• Minua häiritsee kahvilassa.
  → Something bothers me in the café. (But what? The noise? The smell? The people?)

In normal speech you usually mention what bothers you:

• Minua häiritsee taustamelu kahvilassa.
• Kahvilassa minua häiritsee taustamelu.

What does taustamelu consist of, and is it a compound noun?

Yes, taustamelu is a compound noun:

• tausta = background
• melu = noise

Combined: taustamelu = background noise.

In Finnish, compounds are normally written as one word, unlike English:

• taustamusiikki = background music
• taustavalo = backlight

Is taustamelu countable? Can I say it in plural?

Taustamelu is usually treated as a mass noun (like “noise” in English), so it’s most natural in the singular.

Plural taustamelut is grammatically possible but sounds unusual; you’d normally use it only in special contexts where you’re clearly talking about different separate kinds or sources of background noises.

In ordinary use, stick to the singular taustamelu for “background noise.”

How would I say this sentence in the negative?

To negate, use the negative verb ei plus the main verb in its connegative form:

• Positive: Taustamelu häiritsee minua kahvilassa.
• Negative: Taustamelu ei häiritse minua kahvilassa.

Form breakdown:

• ei = negative verb (3rd person singular here)
• häiritse = connegative form of häiritä (no personal ending)
• Objects and other parts (minua, kahvilassa) stay the same.