Learn Hardcore Finnish: Juttelen ystäväni kanssa puistossa, kun kävelen kotiin. - I chat with my friend in the park when I walk home.

-n at the end = I (1st person singular): juttelen = I chat / I’m chatting
Finnish present tense often covers both simple present and “continuous” meaning in English, depending on context.

Why does jutella become juttelen (with tt)?

This is a common Finnish stem change pattern.

Dictionary form: jutella
In conjugation, the stem shows tt: juttel-
Then the personal ending is added: juttel + en → juttelen

You’ll see similar “double consonant” stems in many verbs where the infinitive has -ella/-illa.

Why is there no word for I (minä) in the sentence?

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

juttelen already means I chat
kävelen already means I walk

You can add minä for emphasis/contrast, but it’s not required.

What’s going on with ystäväni—does it mean my friend or my friend’s?

Ystäväni is ystävä (friend) + the 1st person possessive suffix -ni (my).

It can function as either:

nominative: ystäväni = my friend
genitive: ystäväni = my friend’s / of my friend

In this sentence, the postposition kanssa requires the genitive-type form, and with possessive suffixes the genitive -n is effectively “built in” (and the visible form ends up the same: ystäväni).

Why is it ystäväni kanssa and not something like kanssa ystäväni?

Kanssa is a postposition, so it normally comes after its complement:

ystäväni kanssa = with my friend (standard)

You’ll sometimes see other word orders in poetry or special emphasis, but the normal everyday structure is [noun/pronoun] + kanssa.

What case is puistossa, and why is it used?

Puistossa is inessive case (-ssa/-ssä), meaning in / inside / at a place.

puisto = park
puistossa = in the park / at the park

It answers where? (location).

How would the meaning change if it were puistoon instead of puistossa?

That would change from location to movement into the place:

puistossa (inessive) = in the park (already there)
puistoon (illative) = into the park / to the park (going there)

So puistossa fits a “we’re chatting while being in the park” idea.

Why is kotiin used instead of kotona?

This is the same location vs direction distinction:

kotiin (illative) = to/into home, destination, where to?
kotona (inessive) = at home, location, where?

So kävelen kotiin means you’re walking towards home / to get home, not walking while already at home.

Why does koti + -in become kotiin (double i)?

The illative of many words ending in -i is formed by lengthening the final vowel:

koti → kotiin
similarly: järvi → järveen (different ending, but same “into” idea)

So the double ii is a spelling sign of that lengthening.

What does kun mean here, and does it mean when or while?

Kun introduces a time clause and often corresponds to when or while, depending on context.

In this sentence, it expresses simultaneity:

chatting happens during the time you’re walking home

So in natural English it often maps to while, even though the word is kun.

Why is there a comma before kun?

In Finnish, a subordinate clause (like one introduced by kun) is typically separated from the main clause with a comma.

Main clause: Juttelen ystäväni kanssa puistossa,
Subordinate time clause: kun kävelen kotiin.

This comma is standard Finnish punctuation for this structure.

Could the clause order be reversed, and would the grammar change?

Yes, you can switch the order; the meaning stays essentially the same, and the comma remains:

Kun kävelen kotiin, juttelen ystäväni kanssa puistossa.

The main difference is focus/flow: starting with the kun-clause sets the time scene first.