Learn Hardcore Finnish: Maksan käteisellä ja saan paljon vaihtorahaa takaisin. - I pay in cash and get a lot of change back.

maksaa → minä maksan = I pay / I’m paying Finnish present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous depending on context.

Why is it käteisellä and not something like käteinen or käteistä?

Käteisellä is the adessive case (-lla/-llä), which commonly expresses means/instrument: “by/with (something)”.

You can also hear käteisellä much more naturally than plain käteinen in this context.

What exactly is the case ending in käteisellä?

It’s adessive: -llä (because of vowel harmony with ä).

The adessive is also used for location (pöydällä = on the table), but here it’s the instrument/means use.

Why does the second clause not repeat the subject (minä)?

Finnish often drops personal pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

Maksan … ja saan … is understood as:
- (Minä) maksan … ja (minä) saan … Repeating minä would be possible but usually sounds unnecessary unless you want emphasis/contrast.

What tense and person is saan?

Saan is the 1st person singular present of saada (to get/receive).

In this sentence it means you receive something as a result of paying: I get (back).

Why is it paljon vaihtorahaa (partitive) instead of paljon vaihtoraha?

Because paljon (a lot of) typically requires the partitive case for the thing being quantified.

paljon
- partitive: paljon rahaa, paljon vettä, paljon vaihtorahaa

Also, the partitive fits the meaning: an indefinite amount of change, not a fixed, countable set.

Is vaihtoraha singular or plural here? Why does it look singular?

The dictionary form is vaihtoraha (“change” as a concept), and in real use it’s often treated like a mass noun (like English change).

vaihtorahaa is partitive singular, but it often corresponds to English “some change / a lot of change”.

If you mean specific coins/notes as countable items, Finnish can also use plural forms in other contexts, but here the mass reading is natural.

Could I use monta instead of paljon?

Usually not here. Monta is for countable items (“many”), while paljon is for amount (“a lot of”).

natural: paljon vaihtorahaa (a lot of change)
more countable-style (different wording): monta kolikkoa = many coins, monta seteliä = many banknotes

What does takaisin do, and why is it at the end?

Takaisin is an adverb meaning back / back again. It commonly comes near the end of the clause in neutral word order:

You can move it for emphasis, but the end position is very typical and clear.

Could the word order be different?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible, and changes often affect focus/emphasis. Examples:

Maksan käteisellä ja saan takaisin paljon vaihtorahaa. (focus slightly more on getting it back)
Paljon vaihtorahaa saan takaisin, kun maksan käteisellä. (strong focus on a lot of change) The original is a very neutral, natural order.

Is ja always just “and”? Any special grammar here?

Here ja is the basic coordinating conjunction and, linking two main clauses:

No special tense change is needed; both verbs are in present tense and share the same implied subject.

How is this sentence pronounced (especially long vowels and ä)?

Key points:

Stress is typically on the first syllable of each word: MAK-san KÄ-tei-sel-lä ja SAAN PAL-jon VAIH-to-ra-haa ta-KAI-sin
Long vowels matter:
- saan has a long aa (longer than in a short vowel word)
- rahaa ends with long aa
ä is like the vowel in cat for many speakers (but keep it clearly distinct from a).