Asuntoesittelyn jälkeen juon kahvia kotona.

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Questions & Answers about Asuntoesittelyn jälkeen juon kahvia kotona.

Why is asuntoesittelyn in that form? What case is it?

Asuntoesittelyn is the genitive singular of asuntoesittely (apartment showing / presentation). You can recognize the genitive by the -n ending:

  • asuntoesittelyasuntoesittelyn

It’s in the genitive because of the postposition jälkeen (after), which requires its complement in the genitive.


How does jälkeen work here, and why is it after the noun?

Jälkeen is a postposition meaning after. In Finnish, many adpositions come after the noun (postpositions), unlike English prepositions that come before.

Structure:

  • [GENITIVE] + jälkeen
  • asuntoesittelyn jälkeen = after the apartment showing

(Compare: ennen works similarly: asuntoesittelyn ennen = before the showing, though ennen is often used with partitive too in other patterns.)


What is juon exactly? Why not minä juon?

Juon is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb juoda (to drink).

Finnish verb endings already show the subject, so the pronoun is often omitted:

  • (minä) juon = I drink / I’m drinking

You’d add minä mainly for emphasis/contrast (like I drink, not someone else).


Why is it kahvia and not kahvi or kahvin?

Kahvia is the partitive singular of kahvi (coffee). With juoda, the object is often in the partitive when you mean an unspecified amount or an ongoing / incomplete action.

Common contrast:

  • juon kahvia = I drink (some) coffee / I’m drinking coffee
  • juon kahvin = I will drink the (whole) coffee / I’ll drink one coffee (a complete unit)

So kahvia sounds natural for a non-specific amount.


Does this present tense mean right now, or in the future?

Finnish present tense can cover:

  • habitual actions: I (generally) drink coffee
  • near-future plans: I’ll drink coffee (after that)
  • “right now” actions: I’m drinking coffee

In a sentence with a clear time sequence like asuntoesittelyn jälkeen (after the showing), juon is very often understood as a planned/expected next action: I’ll drink coffee (afterwards).


What case is kotona, and why is it used for location?

Kotona is a fixed, very common form meaning at home. It behaves like a location adverb meaning staying in a place.

It’s historically the essive form (-na/-nä), and it’s used idiomatically to mean being at home (as a state/location). In everyday Finnish you usually say:

  • olen kotona = I am at home
  • juon kahvia kotona = I drink coffee at home

A more literal “inside the house/building” idea would more likely use kodissa, but kotona is the normal choice for the general concept of being at home.


Why is the time phrase at the beginning? Can the word order change?

Finnish word order is flexible. Putting asuntoesittelyn jälkeen first is a common way to set the time frame (topic) first.

You can also say:

  • Juon kahvia kotona asuntoesittelyn jälkeen.

Both are grammatical. The beginning position emphasizes when.


Is asuntoesittely one word? How is it built?

Yes, it’s a compound noun:

  • asunto = apartment / dwelling
  • esittely = presentation / showing

So asuntoesittely literally means apartment presentation/showing, i.e., a viewing where an apartment is shown.


What is the base form of jälkeen and does it change?

The base form is jälkeen, and it typically doesn’t inflect the way nouns do. Instead, the noun before it takes the required case (usually genitive):

  • asuntoesittelyn jälkeen

So the “grammar work” happens on asuntoesittelyn, not on jälkeen.


How do I pronounce tricky parts like asuntoesittelyn?

Key pronunciation tips:

  • Double consonants are long: tt in esittely is held longer.
  • Finnish stress is usually on the first syllable: ASun-to-esit-te-lyn (roughly).
  • The y in -lyn is like the French u or German ü (a front rounded vowel).

Breaking it up helps: asunto + esittely + n (genitive -n).