Learn Hardcore Finnish: Jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää itseluottamustani. - Every small success increases my self-confidence.

joka = which / that / every (in some time expressions)
- As a relative pronoun: kirja, joka on pöydällä = the book that is on the table
- With time words: joka päivä = every day
kaikki = all
- kaikki pienet onnistumiset = all the small successes (clearly plural)
jokainen = each / every (one)
- jokainen pieni onnistuminen = every little success (focus on individual successes, one by one)

So in the sentence, jokainen emphasizes that each individual small success has an effect on your self‑confidence.

Why is it pieni onnistuminen (singular) and not pienet onnistumiset (plural)?

Because jokainen always takes a singular noun:

jokainen pieni onnistuminen (singular) = every little success
You cannot say jokainen pienet onnistumiset; that is ungrammatical.

If you wanted a clearly plural subject, you’d drop jokainen and say:

Kaikki pienet onnistumiset lisäävät itseluottamustani.
= All the small successes increase my self-confidence.

There, kaikki pienet onnistumiset is plural, so the verb changes to plural lisäävät.

Why is the verb lisää (3rd person singular) used here?

The subject of the sentence is jokainen pieni onnistuminen, which is grammatically singular:

onnistuminen = a success (singular noun)
jokainen = each / every, which also behaves as singular

In Finnish, the verb must agree with the subject in number, so:

jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää …
= every little success increases … (3rd person singular form of lisätä)

If you used a plural subject, the verb would also be plural:

Pienet onnistumiset lisäävät itseluottamustani.
(Small successes increase my self-confidence.)

How is itseluottamustani formed, and what does each part mean?

Itseluottamustani breaks down like this:

itseluottamus = self-confidence
- itse = self
- luottamus = trust, confidence
itseluottamusta = partitive singular of itseluottamus
- For many -us/-ys nouns, the partitive singular is -usta / -ystä:
  - rakkaus → rakkautta (love)
  - itseluottamus → itseluottamusta
itseluottamustani = itseluottamusta
- -ni
  - -ni is the 1st person singular possessive suffix = my
  - literally: some of my self-confidence

So grammatically:

itseluottamus (nominative) = self-confidence (in general)
itseluottamusta (partitive) = (some) self-confidence
itseluottamustani (partitive + -ni) = (some of) my self-confidence

Why is itseluottamustani in the partitive case instead of something like itseluottamukseni?

Itseluottamustani is in the partitive case because of the meaning of the verb lisätä (to increase).

In Finnish, the object is often in the partitive when:

the action affects the object partially, or
the amount is indefinite / not complete, or
the verb expresses change in amount (increase/decrease).

Verbs like lisätä (to increase) and vähentää (to reduce) very often take a partitive object:

Kahvi lisää vireyttä. = Coffee increases alertness.
Stressi vähentää jaksamista. = Stress reduces stamina/energy.

So here:

lisää itseluottamustani = increases my self-confidence
→ seen as increasing some amount of self-confidence, not turning zero into 100%.

Itseluottamukseni (nominative + -ni) would sound like “my self-confidence” as a whole thing, better suited as a subject or a complete object in other types of sentences, e.g.:

Itseluottamukseni kasvaa. = My self-confidence is growing.
Menetin itseluottamukseni. = I lost my self-confidence.

Could I also say minun itseluottamustani, or is itseluottamustani the only option?

Both are possible, but itseluottamustani (with only the suffix -ni) is more typical and natural.

Jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää itseluottamustani.
– Most natural everyday style.

If you add the pronoun minun:

Jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää minun itseluottamustani.
– Grammatically correct, but sounds more emphatic, like: “Every little success increases *my self-confidence (as opposed to someone else’s).”*

In Finnish, you usually express possession with just the possessive suffix:

kirjani = my book (rather than minun kirjani, unless you want emphasis)
itseluottamustani = my self-confidence (in partitive)

So:

minun + itseluottamustani = stronger emphasis on mine.
Just itseluottamustani = neutral, default way to say my self-confidence here.

Can the word order of this sentence be changed, and if so, how does the meaning or emphasis change?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible. The basic meaning stays the same, but emphasis changes.

Neutral order (subject first):

Jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää itseluottamustani.
→ Focus on “every little success” as the thing that causes the increase.

Object-first for emphasis:

Itseluottamustani lisää jokainen pieni onnistuminen.
→ Emphasis shifts to itseluottamustani (my self-confidence).
Roughly: “It’s my self-confidence that every little success increases.”

You could also put the verb first in certain contexts, especially spoken language, but the two orders above are the most natural neutral/emphatic choices in standard Finnish.

What exactly is onnistuminen, and how is it related to the verb onnistua?

Onnistua is a verb meaning to succeed.

onnistua = to succeed (in doing something)
- Onnistuin kokeessa. = I succeeded in the exam.

Onnistuminen is the noun formed from that verb:

onnistuminen = a success / the act of succeeding
pieni onnistuminen = a small/little success

So in the sentence:

jokainen pieni onnistuminen = every little success
→ every time you succeed, even in a small way.

How would I say this sentence if I wanted to talk about increasing self-confidence in general, not specifically my self-confidence?

You can just remove the possessive suffix -ni and say:

Jokainen pieni onnistuminen lisää itseluottamusta.
= Every little success increases self-confidence (in general).

Here:

itseluottamusta = partitive singular, no possessor marked.
It means self-confidence in a general, impersonal sense (anyone’s, people’s).

So:

itseluottamustani = my self-confidence
itseluottamusta = self-confidence (not tied to any person)

How do you pronounce itseluottamustani, and where is the stress?

Finnish stress rules are regular:

Primary stress is always on the first syllable of a word.

Syllabifying itseluottamustani:

it-se-luot-ta-mus-ta-ni

Stress pattern:

IT-se-luot-ta-mus-ta-ni

Pronunciation tips:

itse: it
- se (like it-seh)
luo is a diphthong: pronounced as one smooth syllable (roughly luo, like loo-oh fused)
Double consonant tt in luott- is held slightly longer than a single t.
Vowels are pure and short here (no long aa/oo/ii).

So you get something like: IT-se-luot-ta-mus-ta-ni, said quite evenly, with clear vowels and main stress on the very first syllable.