Breakdown of Muistatko ottaa avaimen mukaan, kun lähdet?
Questions & Answers about Muistatko ottaa avaimen mukaan, kun lähdet?
Finnish makes yes/no questions by adding the clitic -ko/-kö to the word that’s being questioned/emphasized.
- muistat = you remember
- muistatko? = do you remember? / will you remember? (context decides)
Here it’s attached to the verb, so the whole clause becomes a yes/no question.
Because muistaa often takes another verb in the 1st infinitive to express remember to do something:
- muistan ottaa = I remember to take
- muistatko ottaa = do you remember to take
Using otat would make it two finite verbs and would not form the same “remember to…” structure.
Both exist but they’re used a bit differently:
- muistaa + infinitive (ottaa) is the common way to say remember to do.
- muistaa + -maan/-mään (ottamaan) can sound like remember (how/that you are supposed) to go and take or can be used in some contexts with a slightly different nuance, but it’s less neutral here.
In everyday Finnish, Muistatko ottaa avaimen mukaan… is the natural choice.
Because avain is the direct object of ottaa (to take), and here it’s a total object, which typically appears in the genitive in affirmative clauses:
- ottaa avaimen = take the key (as a complete, definite action)
So avaimen is avain + -en (genitive singular).
Yes, avainta is the partitive object, and it would change the meaning/feel:
- ottaa avaimen = take the key (complete, specific item)
- ottaa avainta = take some of the key / be taking the key (incomplete/ongoing) / take a key in a less bounded way (often not what you mean here)
With a concrete item like a key and a normal “remember to take it” situation, avaimen is the default.
mukaan means along / with you / along with (someone/something). With ottaa, it forms the common phrase:
- ottaa X mukaan = take X with you
So avaimen mukaan together is essentially the key with you → take the key along.
Yes, mukaan functions like a postposition/adverb in this use. Many Finnish postpositions require a case on the word before them (e.g., genitive), but mukaan in ottaa mukaan is often treated as a fixed adverbial element meaning along.
You’ll also see a related construction where mukaan behaves more clearly like a postposition:
- Jonkun mukaan = according to someone (here jonkun is genitive)
In ottaa avaimen mukaan, it’s basically the idiomatic “take along” structure.
Finnish normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person:
- lähdet = you leave / you’re leaving
sinä can be added for emphasis or contrast, but it’s not needed here.
It’s the present tense, but Finnish often uses the present to refer to near future actions too:
- kun lähdet = when you leave / when you’re leaving
Context supplies the future sense.
Yes, that’s also correct. Word order affects focus and flow more than basic meaning:
- Muistatko …, kun lähdet? puts the main question first, then adds the time clause.
- Kun lähdet, muistatko …? sets the time frame first (when you leave) and then asks the question.
Both are natural; the second can feel a bit more “set the scene, then ask.”
Because kun is used for a time clause meaning when (something that is expected to happen):
- kun lähdet = when you leave (you are going to leave)
jos means if and is used for a condition that may or may not happen:
- jos lähdet = if you leave
In this sentence, leaving is assumed, so kun fits.
It’s polite and conversational. Finnish often uses a question with -ko/-kö to make a reminder softer:
- Muistatko ottaa…? = literally Do you remember to…?, pragmatically Remember to… / Don’t forget to…
It’s a common, friendly way to remind someone without giving a direct imperative.