Tarkistan laskun summan verkkopankissa ennen kuin maksan sen.

I check the bill’s amount in online banking before I pay it.

Breakdown of Tarkistan laskun summan verkkopankissa ennen kuin maksan sen.

• minä: I
• -ssa: in
• se: it
• ennen kuin: before
• tarkistaa: to check
• maksaa: to pay
• lasku: the bill
• summa: the amount
• verkkopankki: online banking

Questions & Answers about Tarkistan laskun summan verkkopankissa ennen kuin maksan sen.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

Finnish often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows the person.

• Tarkistan = (I) check / I will check
• maksan = (I) pay / I will pay
  You can say Minä tarkistan..., but it usually adds emphasis (like I specifically).

What tense is tarkistan / maksan? Is it present or future?

They are present tense forms (1st person singular). Finnish frequently uses the present tense for near-future actions too, so it can mean either I check or I’m going to check, depending on context.

Why do laskun and summan both end in -n?

They’re doing different jobs:

• laskun is genitive: of the invoice / invoice’s (it modifies the next word: summa)
• summan is the total object form (often called accusative, but it looks like genitive -n in singular nouns): the amount (as the thing being checked)

So laskun summan = the invoice’s amount, and the whole phrase is the object of tarkistan.

Why is it laskun summa in dictionaries but here it’s laskun summan?

Because dictionary form is nominative: laskun summa = the invoice’s amount (as a basic noun phrase).
When the phrase becomes a total object of the verb tarkistan, only the head noun changes case:

• nominative: laskun summa
• object (total): laskun summan

The modifier laskun stays genitive because it still means invoice’s.

Why is the object summan (total object) and not summaa (partitive)?

Finnish often chooses between total object and partitive object based on whether the action is seen as complete/whole vs ongoing/partial.

• Tarkistan summan suggests checking the amount as a whole, a complete check (common here).
• Tarkistan summaa could suggest “checking the amount” in a more ongoing/partial way (less natural for a single invoice total, but possible in some contexts).

What case is verkkopankissa, and why?

verkkopankissa is inessive (-ssa/-ssä) meaning in / inside:

• verkkopankissa = in online banking

It answers “where (in what place/system) do I check it?”

Could it be verkkopankiin instead of verkkopankissa?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

• verkkopankissa (inessive) = doing it in the online bank environment (location/state)
• verkkopankkiin (illative) = going into online banking (movement/entering)

For “I check it in online banking,” verkkopankissa is the typical choice.

How does ennen kuin work грамmatically? Why two words?

ennen kuin means before and it introduces a subordinate clause with a finite verb:

• ennen kuin maksan sen = before I pay it

It’s two words because it’s literally before + than/that in structure: ennen + kuin.

Why is it maksan sen and not just maksan?

maksan alone can mean “I pay (something)” but the object might be unclear.
sen makes it explicit: “I pay it,” referring back to the invoice (lasku).

You could also say ennen kuin maksan laskun (“before I pay the invoice”), but using sen avoids repeating lasku.

Why is the pronoun sen (ending in -n) and not sitä?

Same total vs partitive idea:

• maksan sen = I pay it (as a complete payment; the invoice gets fully paid)
• maksan sitä = I’m paying it (ongoing/partial), or “I pay some of it,” depending on context

For an invoice you intend to pay in full, maksan sen is the normal choice.

Is the word order fixed? Could parts be moved around?

Finnish word order is fairly flexible, but changes emphasis. Common alternatives that still sound natural:

• Tarkistan verkkopankissa laskun summan ennen kuin maksan sen. (emphasizes where)
• Ennen kuin maksan sen, tarkistan laskun summan verkkopankissa. (emphasizes the “before” condition)

The given order is neutral and very typical.

Should there be a comma before ennen kuin?

Often, yes. In formal/standard written Finnish, a subordinate clause introduced by ennen kuin is typically separated by a comma:

• Tarkistan laskun summan verkkopankissa, ennen kuin maksan sen.

In casual writing, people sometimes omit the comma, especially if the sentence feels short, but the comma is generally recommended.