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Kuitteja kertyy lompakkoon nopeasti, joten tyhjennän sen usein.

Kuitteja kertyy lompakkoon nopeasti, joten tyhjennän sen usein.
Receipts accumulate in my wallet quickly, so I empty it often.

Breakdown of Kuitteja kertyy lompakkoon nopeasti, joten tyhjennän sen usein.

usein
often
se
it
joten
so
nopeasti
quickly
tyhjentää
to empty
-oon
into
lompakko
wallet
kertyä
to accumulate
kuitti
receipt
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Questions & Answers about Kuitteja kertyy lompakkoon nopeasti, joten tyhjennän sen usein.

Why is it kuitteja and not kuitit?

Kuitteja is the partitive plural of kuitti (receipt). In Finnish, when you talk about an indefinite amount of something (some receipts / receipts in general, not a specific counted set), you often use the partitive. Here, the idea is “(some) receipts accumulate”, not “the receipts (specific ones) accumulate.”

What does kertyy mean, and what is its dictionary form?

Kertyy means accumulates / builds up / piles up. The dictionary form is kertyä (a verb meaning something accumulates by itself, not necessarily because someone is actively doing it).
So Kuitteja kertyy = Receipts accumulate.

Why is the verb kertyy singular even though kuitteja is plural?

This is a common Finnish structure called an existential sentence. In existential sentences:

  • the “thing that exists/appears/accumulates” is often in the partitive (here kuitteja), and
  • the verb is typically 3rd person singular.

So Finnish treats this more like “There accumulates (some) receipts” than “Receipts accumulate” grammatically.

What case is lompakkoon, and why is it used?

Lompakkoon is the illative case (“into”).

  • lompakko = wallet
  • lompakkoon = into the wallet

It’s used because the receipts are accumulating into the wallet (ending up inside it).

What’s the difference between lompakkoon and lompakossa?
  • lompakkoon (illative) = into the wallet (movement/endpoint: they end up inside)
  • lompakossa (inessive) = in the wallet (location/state: already there)

With kertyy, Finnish often uses a “to/into” idea: things accumulate into some place.

What does joten mean, and why is there a comma?

Joten means so / therefore and introduces a result/consequence.
Finnish typically uses a comma before joten when it links two independent clauses:

  • Kuitteja kertyy lompakkoon nopeasti,
  • joten tyhjennän sen usein.
In tyhjennän sen, what does sen refer to?

Sen means it and refers to lompakko (wallet).
So tyhjennän sen = I empty it (the wallet).

Why is it tyhjennän sen (not another case for sen)?

Tyhjentää (to empty) takes a total object when you mean you empty it completely, so the object is typically in the genitive/accusative form.
For the pronoun se, that form is sen.
So tyhjennän sen implies I empty it out (fully).

How is tyhjennän formed?

It comes from the verb tyhjentää (to empty).
tyhjennän is the 1st person singular present tense form (I empty). The -n ending marks “I” in the present tense.

Why isn’t minä (I) included?

Because Finnish verb endings already show the person.
tyhjennän clearly means “I empty”, so minä is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis/contrast.

Where can usein go in the sentence?

Usein (often) is fairly flexible, but these are all natural with slightly different emphasis:

  • … joten tyhjennän sen usein. (neutral)
  • … joten usein tyhjennän sen. (emphasis on often)
  • … joten tyhjennän usein sen. (possible, but usually you’d keep sen right after the verb)