010
Log inSign up

Joka perjantai palautan kirjan kirjastoon.

Joka perjantai palautan kirjan kirjastoon.
Every Friday I return the book to the library.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Finnish now

Questions & Answers about Joka perjantai palautan kirjan kirjastoon.

Why isn’t minä (“I”) included?
Finnish usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person. Palautan already means I return, so (minä) palautan is optional. You’d add minä mainly for emphasis or contrast (e.g., Minä palautan, mutta hän ei palauta = I return it, but he doesn’t).
What is joka doing here, and does it change form?

Joka means every / each in this time-expression pattern: joka + time word → every (Friday).
It can inflect in other contexts (it’s also a relative pronoun meaning who/which/that), but in this common “every X” usage you typically see joka päivä, joka viikko, joka perjantai, etc.

Why is it joka perjantai and not joka perjantaina?

Both can be heard, but they feel slightly different stylistically.

  • joka perjantai = a very common, straightforward “every Friday” phrase (habitual schedule).
  • joka perjantaina uses the -na/-nä essive-like time form (“on Fridays”), which can sound a bit more explicit/“on each Friday.” Another very common option is perjantaisin = “on Fridays / every Friday.”
How do I know palautan is “I return” and what is the base form?

The dictionary form is palauttaa (to return/bring back).
Present tense personal endings:

  • palautan = I return
  • palautat = you return
  • palauttaa = he/she returns
    So -n marks 1st person singular in the present tense.
Why is the object kirjan ending in -n?

Kirjan is the “total object” form (often called accusative/genitive-looking -n in the singular). It suggests the action is completed/whole: I return the book (as a complete item / successfully).
If you used the partitive (kirjaa), it would more likely suggest an incomplete/ongoing action or an unbounded amount (context-dependent), which doesn’t fit as naturally with “returning a book” as a completed event.

Does kirjan mean “a book” or “the book”? There’s no article.
Finnish has no articles (a/the). Kirjan can be “a book” or “the book” depending on context. In a typical real-life setting (like library books), it often implies the specific book being returned, but the grammar itself doesn’t force either reading.
Why is it kirjastoon and what case is that?

Kirjastoon is the illative case, expressing movement into something: into the library.
Base word: kirjasto (library)
Illative singular: often looks like -Vn with a lengthened vowel here → kirjastoon.

Could I say kirjastossa or kirjastolle instead?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

  • kirjastoon = into the library (movement inside)
  • kirjastossa = in the library (location; no movement)
  • kirjastolle = to the library (allative; movement toward/as a destination, often more like “to the library (as an institution/place)”) For returning a book, kirjastoon (or sometimes kirjastolle) is natural; kirjastossa would sound like you’re returning it while already being inside.
Is the word order fixed? Could I rearrange it?

This order is very neutral: Time + verb + object + destination.
Finnish word order is flexible, and changing it mainly changes emphasis:

  • Palautan kirjan kirjastoon joka perjantai. (neutral, time added at the end)
  • Kirjan palautan kirjastoon joka perjantai. (emphasizes the book)
  • Kirjastoon palautan kirjan joka perjantai. (emphasizes to the library)
Any pronunciation details I should watch in kirjastoon and perjantai?

Two common points:

  • kirjastoon has a long oo: -toon is held longer than a single o.
  • Finnish stress is usually on the first syllable: PER-jan-tai, KIR-jas-toon, JO-ka.