Log inSign up

Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.

Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.
I would like to rent a cottage on the weekend.

Breakdown of Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.

minä
I
haluta
to want
viikonloppuna
on the weekend
mökki
the cottage
vuokrata
to rent
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Finnish now

Questions & Answers about Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.

Why does the sentence use haluaisin instead of haluan?

Haluan = I want (plain, direct statement).
Haluaisin = I would like (more polite/softer).

Haluaisin is the conditional mood. In requests, Finnish usually prefers the conditional to sound polite, especially with strangers or in service situations.

So:

  • Haluan vuokrata mökin. – I want to rent a cottage. (Can sound a bit demanding.)
  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin. – I would like to rent a cottage. (Polite, customer style.)
What exactly does haluaisin consist of grammatically?

The verb is haluta = to want.

To form haluaisin (conditional, 1st person singular):

  1. Take the stem: halua-
  2. Add the conditional marker: -isi-
  3. Add the personal ending for I: -n

So: halua- + isi + n → haluaisin

Other forms:

  • haluaisit – you would like
  • haluaisi – he/she would like
  • haluaisimme – we would like
  • haluaisitte – you (pl.) would like
  • haluaisivat – they would like
Why is there no minä (I) in the sentence?

Finnish usually leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

  • haluaisin already means I would like.

  • Adding minä is only needed for emphasis or contrast:

    • Minä haluaisin vuokrata mökin (enkä sinä).
      I would like to rent a cottage (not you).

In normal neutral speech, Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna is perfectly complete without minä.

Why is vuokrata in the infinitive form and not conjugated (e.g. vuokraan)?

Some verbs in Finnish are followed by another verb in the basic infinitive (the -ta/-tä form). Haluta is one of those.

Pattern: [haluta] + [1st infinitive]

  • Haluaisin vuokrata – I would like to rent
  • Haluan syödä – I want to eat
  • Hän aikoo matkustaa – He/She plans to travel

If you said Haluaisin vuokraan, it would be incorrect; vuokraan is I rent, not to rent. Here you need the infinitive.

Why is it mökin and not mökki or mökkiä?

The base word is mökki = cottage.

Mökin is the genitive form, and here it functions as a total object of vuokrata.

Very simplified rule for objects in this kind of sentence:

  • Genitive (mökin) = a/the whole, complete thing (total object)
  • Partitive (mökkiä) = an indefinite/partial/ongoing situation (partial object)

Haluaisin vuokrata mökin.
→ I’d like to rent one whole cottage (a specific complete rental event).

If you said:

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökkiä.

it would sound like you’re talking about an ongoing or habitual activity, or unspecified rental, rather than one clear, complete act. It’s unusual in this context if you just want to rent a cottage for the weekend.

So mökin = one full, specific cottage as the object of renting.

What case is mökin, and is it also called accusative?

Formally, mökin is the genitive form of mökki.

In object grammar, this same form is often called the genitive object or treated as the accusative of singular nouns. So you may see different explanations:

  • “Genitive used as a total object”
  • “Accusative singular form looks like the genitive”

For practical purposes at your level, it’s enough to remember:

  • For a single, whole object in a complete event: use the -n form (mökin) after verbs like vuokrata.
Could I say Haluaisin vuokrata mökkejä, and what would that mean?

Yes, but it means something different.

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin.
    → I would like to rent one cottage.

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökkejä.
    → I would like to rent (some) cottages (plural, an unspecified number).

Mökkejä is the partitive plural of mökki.
You might say this if, for example, you are an organizer and need several cottages:

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökkejä viikonlopuksi.
    I’d like to rent cottages for the weekend.
What case is viikonloppuna, and what does the ending -na mean?

The base word is viikonloppu = weekend.

Viikonloppuna is in the essive case (ending -na/-nä). In time expressions, the essive often means “on / during”:

  • maanantaina – on Monday
  • jouluna – at Christmas
  • viikonloppuna – on/during the weekend

So viikonloppuna here means “at the weekend / on the weekend” (time when the renting happens or when you have the cottage).

What’s the difference between viikonloppuna and viikonlopuksi?

Both can appear with vuokrata, but they highlight slightly different things:

  • viikonloppuna – on/during the weekend (time when something happens)

    • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.
      → I’d like to rent a cottage (to use it) at the weekend.

  • viikonlopuksi – for the weekend (for the duration; translative case -ksi)

    • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonlopuksi.
      → I’d like to rent a cottage for the weekend (for that time period).

In everyday speech, both can often be used and understood as for the weekend, but:

  • viikonlopuksi emphasizes the length of the rental.
  • viikonloppuna emphasizes the time when you’ll have the cottage.
Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes. Finnish word order is more flexible than English, and you can move elements for emphasis or style.

Neutral, common order:

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna.

Possible variations (all grammatical, with subtle emphasis changes):

  • Viikonloppuna haluaisin vuokrata mökin.
    → Emphasizes when: On the weekend, I’d like to rent a cottage.

  • Mökin haluaisin vuokrata viikonloppuna.
    → Emphasizes the cottage (as opposed to something else).

  • Mökin viikonloppuna haluaisin vuokrata.
    → Very marked/emphatic, focusing on both the cottage and the weekend; sounds more like spoken emphasis or poetic style.

The original sentence is the most neutral and natural in most contexts.

What is the nuance of mökki compared to talo?
  • mökki = cottage, cabin, often a holiday or summer place, typically in the countryside or by a lake. Often simpler, more rustic.
  • talo = house, building; normal residential house or just a building.

For a holiday rental, mökki is the normal word:

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna. – I’d like to rent a (holiday) cottage for the weekend.

Vuokrata talon is possible but sounds like renting an entire residential house (e.g. moving in), not a holiday cabin.

How would I say this politely in a real-life situation, e.g. when contacting a rental company?

Your sentence is already polite. A full polite message might look like:

  • Hei, haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonlopuksi, jos mahdollista.
    Hi, I would like to rent a cottage for the weekend, if possible.

Or shorter:

  • Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonlopuksi, kiitos.
    I’d like to rent a cottage for the weekend, thank you.

You usually don’t turn this into a question with haluaisinko; that would sound like you’re wondering about your own desire. The polite form is exactly the conditional: Haluaisin…

Are there any tricky pronunciation points in Haluaisin vuokrata mökin viikonloppuna?

A few things to watch:

  • Stress is always on the first syllable of each word: HA-luaisin VUO-krata MÖ-kin VII-kon-lop-pu-na.
  • uo in vuokrata is a diphthong: say it as one smooth sound [uo].
  • ö in mökin is a front vowel, like the eu in French peur or German schön (but shorter).
  • Double letters matter:
    • viikonloppuna has ii (long i) and pp (long p). Keep them clearly long; otherwise you might sound like you said a different word.

Practice slowly:

  • Haluaisin
  • vuokrata
  • mökin
  • viikonloppuna

Then join them together more fluently.