Learn Hardcore Finnish: Ensi vuonna haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin.

ensi = next (when talking about time from now, like next year, next week)
vuosi = year
vuonna = in (the) year → vuosi in the inessive case (-ssa / -ssä) has an alternative form -na / -nä when used with years and some time expressions.

So ensi vuonna is the natural Finnish way to say “next year”, but structurally it’s “in next year.”

Could you say Ensi vuosi haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin instead?

No, that sounds wrong in Finnish.

Ensi vuosi = “next year” (as a subject or object, talking about the year as a thing)
Ensi vuonna = “next year” (as a time adverbial: when something happens)

You need the time form here, so it must be Ensi vuonna haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin or Haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin ensi vuonna.

Why isn’t minä (I) written before haluan?

In Finnish, the personal pronoun is usually dropped because the verb ending already tells you the person:

haluan = I want (1st person singular)
haluat = you want
hän haluaa = he/she wants

So minä haluan matkustaa is correct but feels more emphatic, like stressing I:
Minä haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin = I (as opposed to someone else) want to travel to Sweden.

In neutral sentences, minä is normally omitted:
Haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin.

Why is haluan in the present tense if the sentence is about next year?

Finnish normally uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when there is a time expression like ensi vuonna:

Ensi vuonna haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin.
= Next year I want to travel to Sweden.

There is no dedicated “will” future tense in Finnish. Context words like huomenna (tomorrow), ensi viikolla (next week), ensi vuonna (next year) make the future meaning clear.

Why is matkustaa in that form and not matkustan?

Haluan matkustaa is a common verb + infinitive structure:

haluan = I want
matkustaa = to travel (basic dictionary form, 1st infinitive)

In Finnish:

haluan matkustaa = I want to travel
matkustan = I travel / I am travelling

If you said Ensi vuonna matkustan Ruotsiin, that would mean “Next year I will travel to Sweden” (a straightforward statement of what will happen), not “I want to travel.”

So with haluan, you must use the infinitive matkustaa, not matkustan.

How does haluta become haluan?

The dictionary form is haluta (to want).

For I want, Finnish uses the 1st person singular ending -n and often drops the final -ta of the basic form:

haluta → stem halua- → halua
- n → haluan

Similarly:

puhua (to speak) → puhun (I speak)
odottaa (to wait) → odotan (I wait)

So haluan is just the regular 1st person present form of haluta.

Can I change the word order to Haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin ensi vuonna?

Yes. Both are correct:

Ensi vuonna haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin.
Haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin ensi vuonna.

Finnish word order is relatively flexible. The differences are mainly in emphasis:

Starting with Ensi vuonna highlights the time (next year is the important context).
Starting with Haluan highlights the desire/intention.

Grammatically, both mean “Next year I want to travel to Sweden.”

Why does Ruotsi become Ruotsiin? What does the -in / -iin ending mean?

Ruotsiin is Ruotsi (Sweden) in the illative case, which often answers “into / to (a place)”:

Ruotsi = Sweden (basic form)
Ruotsiin = to Sweden (direction, into Sweden)

Common location cases with countries:

Ruotsissa = in Sweden
Ruotsiin = to Sweden
Ruotsista = from Sweden

The -in / -iin ending is one way to form the illative. For words like Ruotsi, the illative is Ruotsiin (long vowel + n).

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “in Sweden” instead of “to Sweden”?

Use the inessive case (-ssa / -ssä) for “in”:

Ruotsi → Ruotsissa = in Sweden

Example:

Ensi vuonna haluan olla Ruotsissa.
= Next year I want to be in Sweden.

Or:

Ensi vuonna haluan asua Ruotsissa.
= Next year I want to live in Sweden.

How do I say “from Sweden”?

Use the elative case (-sta / -stä) for “from inside / out of”:

Ruotsi → Ruotsista = from Sweden

Example:

Ensi vuonna haluan palata Ruotsista Suomeen.
= Next year I want to return from Sweden to Finland.

Why is Ruotsiin capitalized even with the ending?

In Finnish, proper names stay capitalized even when you add case endings directly to them:

Ruotsi (Sweden) → Ruotsiin, Ruotsissa, Ruotsista
Suomi (Finland) → Suomeen, Suomessa, Suomesta

You don’t separate the ending with a hyphen and you keep the capital letter at the start of the word.

Why is there no word like “to” before Ruotsiin?

Finnish usually doesn’t use prepositions like to, from, in with places. Instead, it uses case endings on the noun itself:

Ruotsiin = to Sweden
Ruotsissa = in Sweden
Ruotsista = from Sweden

So where English uses a preposition + base noun, Finnish uses a single inflected word.

What is the difference between haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin and aion matkustaa Ruotsiin?

Both refer to the future but feel different:

haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin
= I want to travel to Sweden
→ Focus on desire / wish. You want it, but it doesn’t necessarily say it’s planned.
aion matkustaa Ruotsiin
= I intend to travel to Sweden / I’m going to travel to Sweden
→ Focus on intention / plan. Sounds more like a decided plan.

So:

Ensi vuonna haluan matkustaa Ruotsiin.
= Next year I want to travel to Sweden.
Ensi vuonna aion matkustaa Ruotsiin.
= Next year I am going to travel to Sweden (I plan to).

How would I say “Next year I would like to travel to Sweden” (more polite)?

Use the conditional of haluta, which is haluaisin (I would like / I would want):

Ensi vuonna haluaisin matkustaa Ruotsiin.
= Next year I would like to travel to Sweden.

Word order variant:

Haluaisin matkustaa Ruotsiin ensi vuonna.

Both sound more polite and tentative than haluan.