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Otan takin vaatekaapista.

Otan takin vaatekaapista.
I take the coat from the wardrobe.
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Questions & Answers about Otan takin vaatekaapista.

Why does the sentence start with Otan and not Minä otan?

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

  • otan = I take (1st person singular) Adding minä is possible, but it usually adds emphasis/contrast: Minä otan takin = I’m the one taking the coat (not someone else).
What tense is otan? Does it mean “I take” or “I will take”?

Otan is the present tense, but Finnish present tense often covers what English would express as:

  • I take (habit/general)
  • I’m taking (right now, depending on context)
  • I will take (near future / intention, depending on context)

So the exact English tense depends on the situation, not on a special future form in Finnish.

Why is takki becoming takin?

takin is the form used for a total object here (often called the accusative, though it looks like the genitive -n in most nouns). Also, the stem changes because of consonant gradation:

  • dictionary form: takki
  • weak grade in inflected forms: takin (kk → k)
Why is it takin and not takkia?

Because this sentence treats the action as complete: you’re taking the whole coat (a “finished” action) → total object → takin.

takkia is the partitive and is used when the action is:

  • unfinished/ongoing: Otan takkia (I’m taking the coat / grabbing at it), or
  • incomplete/indefinite quantity (more common with mass nouns), or
  • under negation (see next question)
How would this change in the negative?

In Finnish, a direct object under negation usually goes to the partitive.

  • Otan takin vaatekaapista. = affirmative → total object (takin)
  • En ota takkia vaatekaapista. = negative → partitive (takkia)
What case is vaatekaapista, and what does it express?

vaatekaapista is the elative case (-sta/-stä), meaning out of / from inside something.

  • vaatekaapista = from (inside) the wardrobe/closet

So it specifically suggests the coat is inside the wardrobe and you take it out.

Why is it -sta and not -stä?

That’s vowel harmony. Words with back vowels (a, o, u) usually take back-vowel endings like -sta.

  • vaatekaappi contains a and o, so: vaatekaapista A front-vowel word would take -stä (e.g., kylästä).
Why does vaatekaappi become vaatekaapista (where did one p go)?

That’s consonant gradation again:

  • dictionary form: kaappi (strong grade pp)
  • inside-case forms use weak grade: kaapissa, kaapista (pp → p)

So vaatekaappi → vaatekaapista is expected.

Is vaatekaappi one word? What does it literally mean?

Yes, it’s a compound noun:

  • vaate = clothing/garment
  • kaappi = cupboard/cabinet

Together vaatekaappi means wardrobe / clothes closet.

Does Finnish distinguish between “a coat” and “the coat” here?

Not directly—Finnish has no articles like a/the.
takin can mean a coat or the coat, and the intended meaning is decided by context (what coat is being talked about, what the listener already knows, etc.).

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Otan vaatekaapista takin?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible and often used for emphasis/focus.

  • Otan takin vaatekaapista. = neutral
  • Otan vaatekaapista takin. = slightly more focus on where from (from the wardrobe, as opposed to somewhere else)
  • Vaatekaapista otan takin. = strong emphasis/contrast on the source (From the wardrobe I’m taking the coat…)