Minä menen pankkiin ennen kokousta.

I

Breakdown of Minä menen pankkiin ennen kokousta.

• mennä: to go
• ennen: before
• kokous: the meeting

Questions & Answers about Minä menen pankkiin ennen kokousta.

Why is it menen and not the dictionary form mennä?

Mennä is the infinitive, meaning to go.

In the sentence, the verb has to be conjugated to match minä (I), so:

• mennä = to go
• minä menen = I go / I am going

This is the present tense, first person singular.

A few related forms:

• minä menen = I go
• sinä menet = you go
• hän menee = he/she goes

So menen is simply the correct finite verb form for I.

Is minä necessary here?

Not usually. In Finnish, the verb ending already tells you the person, so menen already means I go / I am going.

That means both of these are correct:

• Minä menen pankkiin ennen kokousta.
• Menen pankkiin ennen kokousta.

Using minä can add emphasis or clarity, for example if you want to contrast yourself with someone else:

• Minä menen pankkiin, mutta hän menee kotiin.
  • I’m going to the bank, but he/she is going home.

So minä is grammatical, but often optional.

Why is pankki changed to pankkiin?