Yritän valmistautua kokoukseen lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi.

Because valmistautua typically takes the case that means for / into / toward something, and here that is the illative case.

• kokous = meeting
• kokoukseen = into the meeting / for the meeting

With valmistautua, Finnish often expresses the target of preparation this way:

• valmistautua kokeeseen = prepare for an exam
• valmistautua matkaan = prepare for a trip
• valmistautua kokoukseen = prepare for a meeting

So even though English says prepare for, Finnish uses a case ending rather than a separate word like for.

Lukemalla means by reading.

It comes from the verb lukea and uses a form that expresses the means or method by which something is done. In this sentence, it answers the question:

• How am I trying to prepare for the meeting?
• By reading through the notes.

So:

• lukea = to read
• lukemalla = by reading

This form is often called the third infinitive in the adessive case or more simply the -malla form.

A few similar examples:

• Opin suomea kuuntelemalla podcasteja. = I learn Finnish by listening to podcasts.
• Hän rentoutuu kävelemällä. = He/She relaxes by walking.

Because yrittää is the main conjugated verb, and valmistautua is its complement in the basic infinitive form.

Structure:

• yritän = I try
• valmistautua = to prepare myself

So the pattern is:

• yrittää + infinitive
• I try + to do something

Examples:

• Yritän nukkua. = I try to sleep.
• Yritän oppia. = I try to learn.
• Yritän valmistautua... = I try to prepare...

Only yritän is conjugated for person and tense here. Valmistautua stays in the infinitive.

Because valmistautua means to prepare oneself, while valmistaa usually means to prepare/make something.

Compare:

• valmistaa ruokaa = to prepare food
• valmistautua kokoukseen = to prepare oneself for a meeting

The ending -utua / -ytyä often appears in verbs that are reflexive-like or indicate that the subject is somehow involved in the action affecting themselves.

So here the idea is not I prepare the meeting, but I prepare myself for the meeting.

Because muistiinpanot here is a total object: the speaker is reading through the notes completely, not just reading some notes in a general or partial way.

• muistiinpanot = the notes / all the notes
• muistiinpanoja = notes / some notes

This difference is very common in Finnish objects.

In this sentence, lukea ... läpi strongly suggests completion, so the total object makes sense:

• luen muistiinpanot läpi = I read through the notes
• luen muistiinpanoja = I am reading notes / some notes

Also note: in the plural, the total object often looks like the nominative plural:

• muistiinpanot

Läpi adds the idea of going through something from beginning to end. With lukea, it means read through.

So:

• luen muistiinpanot = I read the notes
• luen muistiinpanot läpi = I read through the notes

It often gives a sense of completion or thoroughness.

Other examples:

• käydä lista läpi = go through a list
• katsoa raportti läpi = look through a report
• lukea kirja läpi = read a book through

In many cases, läpi works almost like a verbal particle in English, similar to through in read through.

Because in Finnish, words like läpi often come after the object or near the end of the clause.

Here the combination is basically:

• lukea muistiinpanot läpi

That word order is very natural in Finnish.

Finnish word order is also more flexible than English, but this version is the most straightforward and neutral. Putting läpi at the end sounds normal because it belongs closely with the action read through.

It is plural.

The basic singular is:

• muistiinpano = note

The plural is:

• muistiinpanot = notes

So the speaker is reading multiple notes, not one note.

This word is built from:

• muistiin = into memory
• pano = putting

So muistiinpano is literally something like a putting into memory, which became the standard word for note.

Yes, but the meaning or style would change slightly.

For example:

• Yritän valmistautua kokoukseen lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi. = I try to prepare for the meeting by reading through the notes.

If you changed it to something like:

• Yritän lukea muistiinpanot läpi valmistautuakseni kokoukseen.

that would mean roughly:

• I try to read through the notes in order to prepare for the meeting.

The original sentence focuses on the method of preparing:

• by reading through the notes

The alternative focuses more on the purpose:

• in order to prepare for the meeting

So lukemalla is specifically useful when you want to show how something is done.

On its own, yritän can work in either way depending on context.

It can mean:

• I am trying right now
• I try in a more general sense

In this sentence, many people would naturally understand it as a present, current action:

• I am trying to prepare for the meeting by reading through the notes.

But Finnish present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous.

So context decides whether it is:

• a current ongoing attempt
• a general way the speaker usually prepares

Yes, to some extent. Finnish allows more flexibility than English, but different word orders can change emphasis.

The original:

• Yritän valmistautua kokoukseen lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi.

is neutral and natural.

Possible variations include:

• Lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi yritän valmistautua kokoukseen.

  • This emphasizes by reading through the notes.

• Kokoukseen yritän valmistautua lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi.

  • This emphasizes for the meeting.

These are grammatically possible, but the original is the most ordinary version for everyday use.

In practice, it connects to the whole action, but semantically it most naturally explains how the preparation is being done.

So the structure is understood as:

• I try [to prepare for the meeting] [by reading through the notes].

Not usually:

• I try by reading...

The reason is meaning:

• lukemalla muistiinpanot läpi is a very natural way to explain how one prepares
• it is less natural as a direct explanation of how one tries

So grammar allows it to attach to the larger action, but common sense and verb meaning tell you that it describes the method of preparing.

Here are the main forms:

• yritän → yrittää = to try
• valmistautua → valmistautua = to prepare oneself
• kokoukseen → kokous = meeting
• lukemalla → lukea = to read
• muistiinpanot → muistiinpano = note
• läpi → läpi = through

This is useful because Finnish words change form a lot, so getting used to identifying the dictionary form is an important skill.