Learn Hardcore Finnish: Iltapäivällä minä juon teetä parvekkeella ja katselen taivasta. - In the afternoon I drink tea on the balcony and watch the sky.

Iltapäivällä is in the adessive case (-lla/-llä). Besides meaning on/at a surface/place, Finnish also commonly uses the adessive for times when something happens, especially with parts of the day:

aamulla = in the morning
päivällä = during the day
illalla = in the evening
yöllä = at night
So iltapäivällä = in the afternoon (literally “at afternoon”).

Do I have to say minä, or can it be omitted?

You can often omit minä, because the verb ending already shows the person:

(Minä) juon = I drink
(Minä) katselen = I watch / I’m watching
You’d include minä for emphasis or contrast (like I drink, not someone else).

What tense is this sentence in? Does it mean “I drink” or “I am drinking”?

It’s present tense. Finnish present tense can translate as either:

I drink tea (habitually), or
I’m drinking tea (right now / in-progress),
depending on context. Here, with iltapäivällä (“in the afternoon”), it often sounds like a habit/routine, but it can still describe a specific afternoon.

Why is teetä not tee? What case is teetä?

Teetä is the partitive singular of tee (“tea”). Partitive is common for:

uncountable substances (tea, water, coffee) when you mean some rather than a whole, definite amount
actions like eating/drinking when the amount is not specified
So juon teetä = “I drink (some) tea.”

How would I say “I drink the (whole) tea” or “I drink a cup of tea” instead?

If you mean a specific, complete amount, you often use the accusative/total object:

Juon teen. = I’ll drink the tea / I drink the tea (as a whole, e.g., finish it)
If you specify a unit/container, you typically use that noun as the object:
Juon kupillisen teetä. = I drink a cup of tea (cupful + partitive tea)

Why is parvekkeella in -lla/-llä too? Does it mean “on the balcony”?

Parvekkeella is also adessive. With places, adessive commonly means at/on:

parveke = balcony
parvekkeella = on/at the balcony (i.e., located there)
It’s the normal choice for being on a balcony, since a balcony is treated like a surface/area you’re on.

What’s the difference between parvekkeella, parvekkeelle, and parvekkeelta?

They’re a location set:

parvekkeella = on the balcony (where you are)
parvekkeelle (allative) = onto/to the balcony (movement toward)
parvekkeelta (ablative) = from the balcony (movement away)
So: Menen parvekkeelle. Olen parvekkeella. Tulen parvekkeelta.

Why is the second verb katselen and not katson? What’s the difference?

Both are “I watch/look,” but the nuance differs:

katson = I look / I watch (neutral, often more direct or momentary)
katselen = I’m watching/looking around (often more continuous, leisurely, or ongoing)
In a calm scene like this, katselen taivasta suggests lingering observation.

Why is taivasta in the partitive? Isn’t “the sky” a definite thing?

Finnish partitive isn’t only about definiteness. It’s also used when the action is:

ongoing / unbounded (no clear endpoint), especially with verbs like watching, listening, waiting
So katselen taivasta implies you’re watching the sky as an ongoing activity, not “watching the sky completely” (which wouldn’t be a typical “completed” action anyway).

What does ja do here, and do both verbs share the same time/place?

ja means and. Here it links two actions done by the same subject:

minä juon … ja katselen …
Both actions naturally fall under the same setting established earlier:
time: iltapäivällä
place: parvekkeella
So the sentence reads like: “In the afternoon, I drink tea on the balcony and (I) watch the sky.”

Is the word order fixed? Could I move things around?

Finnish word order is fairly flexible, and changes often shift emphasis:

Iltapäivällä minä juon teetä parvekkeella... (time first = sets the scene)
Minä juon iltapäivällä teetä parvekkeella... (more neutral “I do X in the afternoon”)
Parvekkeella minä juon teetä... (emphasizes on the balcony)
The core meaning stays, but what feels “highlighted” changes.

How do the verb forms juon and katselen relate to their dictionary forms?

juon comes from juoda (“to drink”). It’s somewhat irregular: juoda → juon (I drink).
katselen comes from katsella (“to watch/look”). This one is more regular: katsella → katselen (I watch / I’m watching).
Both are 1st person singular present forms (“I …”).