Learn Hardcore Finnish: Päivän lopussa ajattelen, että tavallinen arki hammaslääkärin, kampaajan ja lautapelien kanssa on lopulta aika loistava. - At the end of the day I think that ordinary everyday life with the dentist, the hairdresser and board games is actually quite great in the end.

päivä → päivän: genitive singular.
- Genitive is used for “of X”: päivän loppu = “the day’s end / the end of the day.”
loppu → lopussa: inessive case (-ssa/-ssä) = “in / at.”
- lopussa = “in the end / at the end.”

So structure-wise you have:

päivän (of the day) + loppu (end) → päivän loppu (the end of the day)
Then put loppu into inessive: lopussa → “at the end (of the day).”

This “X:n lopussa” pattern is very common:

tunnin lopussa = at the end of the lesson
vuoden lopussa = at the end of the year

Why is there no minä in ajattelen? Does it still mean “I think”?

Yes, ajattelen already means “I think.”

Finnish personal endings mark the subject:

ajattelen = I think (1st person singular, -n)
ajattelet = you think
ajattelee = he/she thinks

Because the verb ending shows the person, the pronoun minä is usually dropped unless you want to emphasize it:

(Minä) ajattelen, että… = “(I) think that…”
- Minä ajattelen… would put extra stress on “I,” like “I think (as opposed to others).”

Why is there a comma before että in ajattelen, että?

In Finnish, että starts a subordinate clause (“that”-clause), and the main rule is:

Put a comma before a conjunction like että, koska, kun, jotta, etc. when they introduce a full clause.

So:

Ajattelen, että… = “I think that…”
Tiedän, että… = “I know that…”

This is different from English, where the comma before “that” is usually not used. In Finnish, the comma is standard in writing.

What exactly does tavallinen arki mean? Is it just “ordinary life”?

Tavallinen arki is more specifically “ordinary everyday life / ordinary daily routine.”

tavallinen = ordinary, usual, normal.
arki = everyday life, weekday life, the normal routine (as opposed to holidays, special events, drama, etc.).

So tavallinen arki suggests the simple, routine side of life: work, appointments, chores, hobbies — normal non-dramatic days.

Why are hammaslääkärin, kampaajan and lautapelien in those forms before kanssa?

The postposition kanssa (“with”) normally requires the genitive case:

ystävä → ystävän kanssa = with a friend
lapset → lasten kanssa = with the children

In the sentence:

hammaslääkäri → hammaslääkärin kanssa (“with the dentist”)
kampaaja → kampaajan kanssa (“with the hairdresser”)
lautapelit → lautapelien kanssa (“with board games”)

When items are listed, they all stay in the genitive that kanssa requires:

hammaslääkärin, kampaajan ja lautapelien kanssa
= “with the dentist, the hairdresser and board games”

Technically, hammaslääkärin and kampaajan forms are ambiguous (they could be genitive or a type of nominative), but here context + kanssa clearly make them genitive.

Why is it lautapelien and not lautapelit or some other form?

Lautapelien is genitive plural of lautapeli (“board game”):

nominative plural: lautapelit (“board games”)
genitive plural: lautapelien (or variant lautapeleiden)

Because kanssa needs the genitive:

singular: lautapelin kanssa = with a board game
plural: lautapelien kanssa = with board games

So lautapelien shows:

plural (more than one board game)
the relationship “of / with” required by kanssa.

Why is kanssa placed at the end of the list: hammaslääkärin, kampaajan ja lautapelien kanssa? Could it be repeated?

In Finnish it’s normal to put kanssa only once at the end of the whole phrase:

hammaslääkärin, kampaajan ja lautapelien kanssa
= “with the dentist, the hairdresser and board games”

You could repeat it for emphasis, but that’s not usual in neutral style:

hammaslääkärin kanssa, kampaajan kanssa ja lautapelien kanssa
(sounds heavier, sometimes used for rhythm or emphasis)

So the standard way is:
[genitive] + [, genitive] + [ja + genitive] + kanssa.

What is the difference between Päivän lopussa and lopulta? Don’t they both have something to do with “the end”?

They are related in meaning but used differently:

Päivän lopussa = at the end of the day (literally, locational/time phrase).
- Structure: “in the end of the day” (a specific time point).
lopulta = “finally / in the end / ultimately / after all.”
- It’s an adverb expressing conclusion, a result after some process or reflection, not a concrete time phrase.

In the sentence:

Päivän lopussa ajattelen = At the end of the day I think
on lopulta aika loistava = is, ultimately, pretty great (after considering everything).

So Päivän lopussa is about when you think; lopulta is about the conclusion you reach.

What does aika mean in aika loistava? Isn’t aika “time”?

Yes, aika normally means “time,” but here it’s a degree adverb meaning “quite / pretty / rather.”

aika loistava ≈ “pretty great,” “quite brilliant.”

Similar uses:

aika hyvä = quite good
aika kallis = rather expensive

Context decides whether aika means “time” (noun) or “quite/pretty” (adverb). Here it clearly modifies loistava (an adjective), so it must be the “quite” meaning.

Why is it loistava and not loistavaa after on?

This is the predicate adjective after olla (“to be”).

arki on loistava
- arki (subject, nominative)
- loistava (predicate adjective, nominative)

When the subject is a whole, definite thing and you state a quality, the adjective typically matches in nominative:

Tämä kirja on hyvä. = This book is good.
Tavallinen arki on loistava. = Ordinary everyday life is great.

You might see partitive (loistavaa) when the meaning is more open‑ended, incomplete, or about “some kind/amount” (e.g. with “seems,” “feels like,” etc.), but with a straightforward statement like “X is great,” nominative loistava is the standard choice.

Could you say Ajattelen päivän lopussa, että… instead of Päivän lopussa ajattelen, että…? Does word order matter?

Yes, you can say:

Ajattelen päivän lopussa, että…
Päivän lopussa ajattelen, että…

Both are grammatically fine. The difference is in emphasis and flow:

Päivän lopussa ajattelen, että…
- Starts by setting the time frame (“At the end of the day…”) → then what happens.
Ajattelen päivän lopussa, että…
- Starts with the mental action (“I think…”) → then adds when you do that.

Finnish word order is quite flexible; elements at the beginning of the sentence are slightly more emphasized or topical. Here the version given just foregrounds “at the end of the day” as the starting point of the thought.

Could you drop että in English (“I think ordinary everyday life … is great”), so can you also drop että in Finnish: ajattelen tavallinen arki…?

No. In Finnish you cannot simply drop että the way English sometimes drops “that.”

Correct: Ajattelen, että tavallinen arki … on lopulta aika loistava.
Incorrect: Ajattelen tavallinen arki … on lopulta aika loistava.

In Finnish, the conjunction että is needed to clearly mark the subordinate clause after verbs like ajattelen, luulen, tiedän, uskon, etc.