Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.

A short stretching break helps me.

Breakdown of Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.

• auttaa: to help
• minua: me
• lyhyt: short
• venyttelytauko: the stretching break

Questions & Answers about Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.

What does each word in Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua mean, and what is the basic structure of the sentence?

• Lyhyt = short
• venyttelytauko = stretching break (venyttely = stretching, tauko = break)
• auttaa = helps
• minua = me (in the partitive case)

So the structure is:
[Adjective] [Noun] [Verb] [Object] → Short stretching-break helps me.
Grammatically: subject (Lyhyt venyttelytauko) + verb (auttaa) + object in partitive (minua).

Why is there no word for “a” in Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua?

Finnish has no articles like “a/an” or “the” at all.
Whether English would use a or the is understood from context, not from a separate word.

So Lyhyt venyttelytauko can mean:

• a short stretching break (most natural here), or
• the short stretching break, depending on context.

The form of the noun phrase doesn’t change for that; Finnish simply uses lyhyt venyttelytauko in both cases.

What form is lyhyt in, and how does it relate to venyttelytauko?

Lyhyt is an adjective meaning short in the nominative singular form.
It is describing venyttelytauko, which is also nominative singular.

In Finnish, an attributive adjective (one that comes before a noun to describe it) must agree with the noun in:

• number (singular/plural)
• case (nominative, partitive, etc.)

So:

• lyhyt venyttelytauko = a short stretching break (singular, nominative)
• lyhyet venyttelytauot = short stretching breaks (plural, nominative)

What kind of word is venyttelytauko, and why is it written as a single word?

Venyttelytauko is a compound noun:

• venyttely = stretching (a noun from the verb venytellä, to stretch repeatedly/gently)
• tauko = break, pause

Finnish typically writes compound nouns as one word, not as two separate words.
So instead of venyttely tauko, it becomes venyttelytauko, meaning specifically a break for stretching.

What case is Lyhyt venyttelytauko in, and what role does it play in the sentence?

Lyhyt venyttelytauko is in the nominative singular case.
In this sentence, it is the subject — the thing that is doing the action of helping.

So:

• subject (nominative): Lyhyt venyttelytauko
• verb: auttaa
• object (partitive): minua

Why is it minua and not minä or minut?

The forms are:

• minä = I (nominative; used as the subject)
• minua = me (partitive; often used as the object, especially with certain verbs)
• minut = me (accusative; object form in “total” actions like They see me → He näkevät minut)

The verb auttaa (to help) normally takes the partitive when it means “to help someone” in general:

• Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.
  = A short stretching break helps me.

You only use minä as a subject (Minä autan sinua – I help you), and minut appears in different structures (e.g. Auta minut ylös – Help me up). For basic “X helps me”, minua is the normal choice.

How is auttaa being used here, and what form is it in?

Auttaa is the verb “to help”.

In auttaa minua:

• auttaa is in the present tense, 3rd person singular form, agreeing with the 3rd person subject Lyhyt venyttelytauko.
• The dictionary form is also auttaa, and for 3rd person singular present (he/she/it helps), the form is the same: (hän) auttaa.

So:

• Hän auttaa minua. = He/She helps me.
• Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua. = A short stretching break helps me.

Can I change the word order, for example to Minua auttaa lyhyt venyttelytauko? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Minua auttaa lyhyt venyttelytauko.

The basic meaning (A short stretching break helps me) remains the same, but the focus/emphasis shifts:

• Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.
  → Neutral, new information is often what the subject does.
• Minua auttaa lyhyt venyttelytauko.
  → Emphasis on me (As for me, it’s a short stretching break that helps), or contrast (maybe something else helps other people).

Finnish word order is flexible, but the grammatical roles are clear from case endings, not from position in the sentence.

How would I say “Short stretching breaks help me” (plural) in Finnish?

You make both the adjective and noun plural and keep the verb in 3rd person plural:

• Lyhyet venyttelytauot auttavat minua.

Breakdown:

• lyhyet = short (plural nominative of lyhyt)
• venyttelytauot = stretching breaks (plural nominative of venyttelytauko)
• auttavat = (they) help (3rd person plural of auttaa)
• minua = me (partitive)

Could I say Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minulle instead of minua?

No, minulle would be incorrect here.

• minulle is the illative form, roughly “to/for me” in a directional sense (e.g. Anna se minulle – Give it to me).
• auttaa in the sense of helping someone takes a direct object, and the normal form here is partitive → minua.

So:

• ✅ Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua.
• ❌ Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minulle.

Can I leave out minua and just say Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa. = A short stretching break helps.

Without minua, the sentence is more general and doesn’t say who it helps. It could mean “helps in general” or “is helpful,” depending on context.
With minua, the sentence explicitly states that it helps me.

How do you pronounce Lyhyt venyttelytauko auttaa minua?

Key points:

• Stress is always on the first syllable of each word:
  LY-hyt VE-nyt-te-ly TAU-ko AUT-taa MI-nu-a
• y is a front rounded vowel, similar to the French u in lune.
• Double vowels or consonants are long and must be clearly held:
  
  • auttaa has a long tt and aa.
• Pronounce every vowel and consonant clearly; Finnish spelling is very phonetic.

So the rhythm is quite even: LY-hyt VE-nyt-te-ly TAU-ko AUT-taa MI-nu-a, with no strong reductions like in English.