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Testaan uuden sovelluksen ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään.

Testaan uuden sovelluksen ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään.
I test the new app before I log in.

Breakdown of Testaan uuden sovelluksen ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään.

minä
I
uusi
new
ennen kuin
before
sovellus
the app
kirjautua sisään
to log in
testata
to test
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Questions & Answers about Testaan uuden sovelluksen ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään.

Why is it Testaan and not Testata (the dictionary form)?

Testata is the infinitive (to test). Testaan is the 1st person singular present tense form (I test / I’m testing).

  • testata → testaan
  • Present tense endings attach to the verb stem, and in this verb the stem + ending results in the long vowel -aan.
Does Testaan mean I test or I am testing?

Either. Finnish present tense commonly covers both English meanings:

  • Testaan uuden sovelluksen = I test the new app / I’m testing the new app
    Context decides whether it’s a habitual action or something happening now.
Why is it uuden sovelluksen and not uusi sovellus?

Because the object is in an object case, and adjectives must agree with the noun in case and number.

  • uusi sovellus = a new app (nominative, basic form)
  • uuden sovelluksen = the new app as the object here (genitive/accusative-type object marking)

So both uuden and sovelluksen are inflected to match their role in the sentence.

What case is sovelluksen (and uuden) in, and why?

sovelluksen is in the genitive singular form (often used to mark a total object in Finnish). uuden is the adjective in the same form. This typically suggests the action is seen as a whole/completed event: I’ll test the app (as a complete task).

Could it also be Testaan uutta sovellusta? What would change?

Yes. That would use the partitive object:

  • Testaan uuden sovelluksen → total object: testing it as a complete, bounded task (or “the app” as a whole item)
  • Testaan uutta sovellusta → partitive: testing some of it / testing in progress / testing in an unbounded way

Both can be correct depending on what you mean.

How does ennen kuin work here?

ennen kuin means before and is used when what follows is a finite clause (a full clause with a verb):

  • ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään = before I log in

So the structure is:

  • main clause + ennen kuin
    • subordinate clause
Why is it kirjaudun and not kirjaudun + an object like in English (log in to something)?

kirjautua sisään is a common fixed expression meaning to log in / sign in. It doesn’t require an object. If you want to specify where/into what system, you can add a phrase:

  • kirjaudun sisään palveluun = I log in to the service
  • kirjaudun sisään tililleni = I log in to my account
What is sisään grammatically— is it a case ending?

sisään is an adverb meaning in/inside (into), often used with movement/transition verbs. It’s related in meaning to “into,” but here it’s not a noun with a case ending; it’s a standalone word used in expressions like:

  • mennä sisään (go in)
  • kirjautua sisään (log in)
Why is the verb kirjaudun at the end of the sentence? Is that required?

Not required. Finnish word order is flexible, but in subordinate clauses it’s very common for the verb to come later, and for ennen kuin clauses to sit after the main clause. You can still reorder for emphasis, for example:

  • Ennen kuin kirjaudun sisään, testaan uuden sovelluksen. (emphasizes before logging in)
Can I replace ennen kuin with a noun form like ennen + something?

Yes. Finnish often offers a noun-based alternative:

  • Testaan uuden sovelluksen ennen sisäänkirjautumista. = I test the new app before logging in.

Here sisäänkirjautumista is a noun-like form (a verbal noun) and takes a case ending, instead of using a full ennen kuin clause.