Torstai-iltana istun parvekkeella ja luen kirjaa rauhassa.

Torstai-iltana means on Thursday evening.

Two things are happening here:

• torstai-ilta = Thursday evening
• -na is the essive case, which is often used in time expressions

So:

• ilta = evening
• iltana = in the evening / on an evening
• torstai-iltana = on Thursday evening

The hyphen is commonly used in combinations like weekday + part of the day:

• maanantai-aamuna = on Monday morning
• perjantai-iltana = on Friday evening

Parvekkeella is the adessive case, which often expresses location.

• parveke = balcony
• parvekkeella = on the balcony / at the balcony

In Finnish, -lla / -llä is often used for being on, at, or in the area of something.

Examples:

• pöydällä = on the table
• asemalla = at the station
• parvekkeella = on the balcony

So even though English says on the balcony, Finnish uses the adessive case rather than a separate preposition.

This is a very common learner question.

• luen kirjaa uses the partitive
• luen kirjan uses the accusative/genitive-looking total object

The difference is about whether the action is seen as ongoing/incomplete or complete/result-focused.

Here:

• luen kirjaa = I am reading a book / I read a book
  (the action is in progress; no emphasis on finishing it)

Compare:

• Luen kirjan. = I will read the book / I’m reading the book through to the end
  (focus on the whole book as a completed object)

With activities like reading, writing, watching, studying, Finnish often uses the partitive when the action is simply underway.

By itself, kirjaa does not tell you whether it is a book or the book, because Finnish has no articles like a or the.

So luen kirjaa could mean:

• I’m reading a book
• I’m reading the book

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is normal in Finnish. You often understand definiteness from the situation rather than from a word like the.

Finnish usually leaves out the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb ending.

• istun = I sit / I am sitting
• luen = I read / I am reading

The -n ending already shows the subject is I.

So:

• Istun parvekkeella = I’m sitting on the balcony

You can say minä istun, but that usually adds emphasis or contrast, such as:

• Minä istun parvekkeella, mutta hän menee ulos.
  = I’m sitting on the balcony, but he/she is going out.

Rauhassa comes from rauha, which means peace.

• rauha = peace
• rauhassa = in peace / peacefully / undisturbed

In this sentence, luen kirjaa rauhassa means something like:

• I read a book in peace
• I read quietly
• I read without being disturbed

It is a very common expression in Finnish.

Examples:

• Haluan syödä rauhassa. = I want to eat in peace.
• Anna minun olla rauhassa. = Leave me alone.
  (literally: let me be in peace)

The ending -ssa / -ssä is the inessive case, which often means in.

• rauha = peace
• rauhassa = in peace

This is a good example of how Finnish often expresses ideas with case endings instead of separate prepositions.

Other examples:

• talossa = in the house
• metsässä = in the forest
• rauhassa = in peace

In many expressions, this kind of form functions almost like an adverb.

It can be either, depending on context.

Finnish present tense often covers both:

• I am sitting / I am reading (right now)
• I sit / I read (habitually or in a narrative sense)

So Torstai-iltana istun parvekkeella ja luen kirjaa rauhassa could mean:

• a scene happening now in a story
• a habitual action on Thursday evenings
• a planned or imagined situation

If you wanted to make the habitual meaning clearer, context would usually do that. Finnish often does not force you to choose as sharply as English does.

Finnish word order is quite flexible, and putting the time first is very natural.

Starting with Torstai-iltana does this:

• sets the scene first
• tells the listener when the action happens
• sounds natural and smooth

So the sentence structure is basically:

• Torstai-iltana = On Thursday evening
• istun parvekkeella = I sit/am sitting on the balcony
• ja luen kirjaa rauhassa = and read/am reading a book in peace

You could move things around, but this version is very normal.

Yes, but it usually is not necessary.

The sentence has two verbs:

• istun = I sit/am sitting
• luen = I read/am reading

Because both verbs clearly have the same subject, Finnish does not repeat minä.

So this is natural:

• Istun parvekkeella ja luen kirjaa.

A repeated pronoun would sound more emphatic or contrastive:

• Minä istun parvekkeella ja minä luen kirjaa.

That is possible, but not neutral everyday style.

Most naturally, it goes with luen kirjaa:

• I read a book in peace

But in practice, it can also color the whole scene:

• I’m sitting on the balcony, and the whole moment is peaceful and undisturbed.

Finnish often allows this kind of slightly broad attachment, especially with adverbial expressions. In this sentence, a learner should mainly understand it as modifying the reading, while also contributing to the calm atmosphere of the whole sentence.

In this sentence, I am sitting is often the most natural English translation, because it describes an ongoing scene.

• istun literally corresponds to I sit
• but in context it often means I am sitting

Finnish present tense does not have a separate form exactly like the English progressive am sitting. The simple present form istun can cover both meanings.

So depending on context:

• Istun parvekkeella. = I’m sitting on the balcony.
• Istun yleensä täällä. = I usually sit here.

Yes. Finnish uses cases very heavily, and this sentence is a great example.

Here are the key forms:

• torstai-iltana — essive, used here for time
• parvekkeella — adessive, used for location
• kirjaa — partitive, because the reading is ongoing/incomplete
• rauhassa — inessive, in the fixed expression in peace

So instead of using lots of separate prepositions and articles, Finnish packs a lot of meaning into the noun endings.

That is one of the biggest differences from English.