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Myöhästymismaksu on pieni summa, mutta se kertyy nopeasti.

Myöhästymismaksu on pieni summa, mutta se kertyy nopeasti.
The late fee is a small amount, but it adds up quickly.

Breakdown of Myöhästymismaksu on pieni summa, mutta se kertyy nopeasti.

olla
to be
pieni
small
mutta
but
se
it
nopeasti
quickly
myöhästymismaksu
late fee
summa
amount
kertyä
to add up
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Questions & Answers about Myöhästymismaksu on pieni summa, mutta se kertyy nopeasti.

What does myöhästymismaksu literally mean, and how is it formed?

Myöhästymismaksu is a compound noun:

  • myöhästyminen = being late / lateness (a noun)
  • maksu = fee / payment Together: myöhästymismaksu = late fee / late payment fee (a fee charged because something is late).
    In compounds, Finnish often uses a linking form like myöhästymis- (from myöhästymisen, the genitive of myöhästyminen), so you get myöhästymis + maksu.
Why is it on and not ole?

on is the 3rd person singular present tense of olla (to be):

  • minä olen
  • sinä olet
  • hän/se on So Myöhästymismaksu on... = The late fee is...
    ole is the negative stem and appears with negation: ei ole (is not).
Why do we say pieni summa (both in the basic form)? Is there any case ending missing?

No ending is missing: both words are in the nominative singular, because this part works like a normal “X is Y” structure:

  • Myöhästymismaksu (subject, nominative)
  • on pieni summa (predicate noun phrase, nominative) Adjectives agree with the noun they modify, so pieni matches summa in number and case: pieni summa.
Could it be pientä summaa instead of pieni summa?

In this exact “X is Y” type of statement, pieni summa (nominative) is the default.
pientä summaa (partitive) is possible in other contexts, but it changes the feel:

  • Partitive often suggests something indefinite, incomplete, or “some amount” in a broader sense.
  • With olla, the partitive can be used in certain constructions, but here it would sound less neutral and less like a straightforward classification. So for “A late fee is a small amount,” pieni summa is the natural choice.
What does mutta do, and why is there a comma before it?

mutta means but and introduces a contrast: small fee but it adds up quickly.
A comma before mutta is standard Finnish punctuation when it joins two independent clauses:

  • Myöhästymismaksu on pieni summa, (clause 1)
  • mutta se kertyy nopeasti. (clause 2)
What does se refer to here, and do I have to include it?

se = it, referring back to myöhästymismaksu (the late fee).
You often include it to make the subject of the second clause explicit. You can drop it in some contexts (especially in informal style) if it’s crystal clear what the subject is, but mutta se kertyy nopeasti is the most straightforward and natural.

What is the verb kertyy and what is its dictionary form?

kertyy is the 3rd person singular present of kertyä.
kertyä means to accumulate / to add up (intransitive: the thing itself accumulates).
So se kertyy nopeasti literally: it accumulates quickly.

How is kertyä different from kerryttää?

They’re related but have different grammar:

  • kertyä (intransitive): to accumulate (by itself)
    • Maksu kertyy. = The fee accumulates.
  • kerryttää (transitive/causative): to accumulate (something), to rack up
    • Viivyttely kerryttää maksuja. = Delaying racks up fees. In your sentence, the fee is the thing accumulating, so kertyä fits.
What does nopeasti come from, and how do I form adverbs like that?

nopeasti = quickly, an adverb formed from the adjective nopea (quick) using -sti:

  • nopea → nopeasti This is a common way to form manner adverbs in Finnish (similar to English “quick” → “quickly”).
Does Finnish need an equivalent of a/the in this sentence?

Finnish has no articles, so the sentence can cover meanings like:

  • A late fee is a small amount... (general statement)
  • The late fee is a small amount... (context-specific) Context tells you whether it’s general or specific. Here it reads naturally as a general statement about late fees (or about a particular late fee in context), without needing any article.