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Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.

Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.
The course progresses quickly when we practice every day.

Breakdown of Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.

kun
when
joka päivä
every day
nopeasti
quickly
harjoitella
to practice
kurssi
the course
edetä
to move forward
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Questions & Answers about Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.

Why is there a comma before kun?

In Finnish, a subordinate clause is usually separated from the main clause with a comma.
Here, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä is a subordinate clause introduced by kun, so it gets a comma:
Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.

Does kun mean when or because here?

Kun can mean both when (time) and because/since (reason), depending on context.
In this sentence it’s understood as a reason: the course progresses quickly because/since we practice every day.
If you want an unambiguously causal word, koska (because) is the clearest alternative.

Why is kurssi in the basic form (nominative) and not in a case ending?

Because kurssi is the grammatical subject of the sentence: the course is what is progressing. Subjects are typically in the nominative form in Finnish, especially with an intransitive verb like edetä (to progress).

What form is etenee, and what is its dictionary form?

Etenee is the 3rd person singular present tense form (he/she/it progresses).
Dictionary form: edetä (to progress).
Conjugation idea:

  • minä etenen = I progress
  • hän etenee = he/she progresses
  • me etenemme = we progress
Why is harjoittelemme “we practice” even though there is no word for “we” (me)?

Finnish verb endings carry the subject information, so subject pronouns are often omitted.
Harjoittelemme is the 1st person plural present tense form, which already means we practice.

What is the dictionary form of harjoittelemme, and why does it look long?

Dictionary form: harjoitella (to practice).
Harjoittelemme contains:

  • the verb stem (harjoittele-)
  • the 1st person plural ending (-mme)

The double -tt- comes from the verb’s conjugation pattern, not from adding a separate word.

How is nopeasti formed, and what part of speech is it?

Nopeasti is an adverb meaning quickly. It’s formed from the adjective nopea (fast/quick) + the common adverb ending -sti:
nopea → nopeasti.

What exactly does joka päivä mean grammatically—why isn’t there a case ending?

Joka päivä means every day.
Here joka is a determiner meaning each/every, and päivä stays in the basic singular form as part of this fixed “every X” type expression:

  • joka päivä = every day
  • joka viikko = every week
  • joka vuosi = every year

It’s a common idiomatic pattern, not a normal case-governed object.

Is the word order flexible here? Could I move parts around?

Yes, Finnish word order is fairly flexible, but changes can shift emphasis. Neutral order is: Kurssi etenee nopeasti, kun harjoittelemme joka päivä.
You could also emphasize the frequency by moving it earlier in the subordinate clause: ..., kun harjoittelemme joka päivä. (neutral)
..., kun joka päivä harjoittelemme. (more emphasis on every day, but less neutral)

Why are both verbs in the present tense—shouldn’t one be “will progress” or “are practicing”?

Finnish present tense often covers what English expresses with several forms (present simple, present continuous, even near-future depending on context).
So etenee can be understood as progresses / is progressing, and harjoittelemme as practice / are practicing, without changing the Finnish verb form.