Learn Hardcore Finnish: Näytän henkilökortin virkailijalle palvelutiskillä. - I show the ID card to the clerk at the service counter.

näytän = I show / I’m showing / I will show (1st person singular)
You can add minä for emphasis or contrast (e.g., Minä näytän, en sinä = I’ll show it, not you), but it’s not required in a neutral sentence.

What tense is Näytän—present or future?

Formally it’s the present tense, but Finnish present often covers near-future actions too. Depending on context, Näytän henkilökortin… can mean:

I show… (habitual or general)
I’m showing… (right now / in progress)
I’ll show… (about to do it)

Why is henkilökortin ending in -n?

henkilökortin is the object in the genitive/accusative-looking “total object” form (commonly called genitive object in basic explanations). It suggests the action is seen as complete: you show the whole ID card (as a finished act).

Compare:

Näytän henkilökortin. = I show the ID (a complete, bounded action)
Näytän henkilökorttia. (partitive) = I’m showing some ID / showing it around / the action is incomplete, ongoing, or not result-like (context-dependent)

So is henkilökortin genitive or accusative?

In practice, learners usually just treat -n here as the total object form. Technically:

With a normal active verb like näytän, a singular total object often looks like the genitive (henkilökortin).
With a passive or certain constructions, total objects can look like nominative instead.

For your sentence, the key point is: henkilökortin = total object (complete action).

Why is virkailijalle in the -lle form?

-lle is the allative case, often meaning to / onto / for someone. Here it marks the recipient:

virkailijalle = to the clerk / for the clerk
So the structure is basically: I show [object] to [recipient].

Could I say virkailijalle without palvelutiskillä, or move it around?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible because cases show roles. You can omit palvelutiskillä if it’s understood, and you can reorder for emphasis:

Näytän henkilökortin virkailijalle.
Virkailijalle näytän henkilökortin. (emphasis: to the clerk, I show it)
Palvelutiskillä näytän henkilökortin virkailijalle. (emphasis: at the service desk)

Neutral/default ordering often puts the verb early and additional information later, like in your sentence.

Why is it palvelutiskillä and not something like palvelutiskissä?

palvelutiskillä uses the adessive case (-llä/-llä), commonly meaning on/at a place:

palvelutiskillä = at the service desk (at the counter)

palvelutiskissä would be the inessive (-ssa/-ssä) meaning in(side) the service desk, which doesn’t fit the real-world situation.

Is palvelutiski a single word? How is palvelutiskillä built?

Yes, palvelutiski (service counter/desk) is a compound word:

palvelu = service
tiski = counter/desk

Then add adessive -llä:

palvelutiski + -llä → palvelutiskillä (at the service desk)

Do I need an article like the or a anywhere?

No—Finnish doesn’t have articles (a/an/the). Definiteness is usually inferred from context or expressed with other means if needed. So henkilökortin can be an ID card or the ID card, depending on context.

Is henkilökortti the only word for “ID card”? Would Finns actually say this?

henkilökortti is standard and common. In everyday speech you may also hear:

henkkarit (slang; often plural-form slang meaning “ID”)
ID-kortti (common loan/abbreviation style)
henkilöllisyystodistus (more formal: “proof of identity”)

Your sentence is perfectly natural in a formal or neutral context.

Could I use another verb instead of näytän?

Yes, depending on nuance:

näytän henkilökortin = I show the ID (display it)
esitän henkilökortin = I present the ID (more formal/official tone)
annan henkilökortin = I hand over the ID (physically give it to them)

At a counter, näytän and esitän are both very common; esitän can sound more official.

How do I pronounce this sentence (especially the long vowels and stress)?

Key pronunciation points:

Stress is usually on the first syllable of each word: NÄY-tän HEN-ki-lö-KOR-tin VIR-kai-li-JAL-le PAL-ve-lu-TIS-kil-lä
Double letters are longer (important in Finnish):
- -ll- in virkailijalle and palvelutiskillä is held longer than a single l.
ä / ö are front vowels (like in many European languages); keep them distinct from a / o.