Mistä, Missä, Mihin
All 3 of those words mean "where". However they are all different. Let's take them one at a time.
Mistä
This typically means "from where".
For example: Mistä tulet? means Where do you come from?
And remember, if you're asked a question that starts with the word mistä, then your answer should end with the suffix -sta/-stä.
So If somebody asks: Mistä olet kotoisin?
You'll answer with: Lontoosta, Tukholmasta, Espanjasta or whatever...
Mistä is also often used in the same way as the English word about. For example:
Kirjoitin artikkelin ruoasta. > I wrote an article about food.
Mistä puhut? > What are you talking about?
There are certain verbs that are paired with the question word mistä, such as tykätä, nauttia, ostaa, and puhua.
To learn more about this, check the page entitled "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
Missä
This typically means "in where" or simply "where" when referring to where something is rather than going to or coming from.
For example: Missä istut? means Where are you sitting?
And remember, if you're asked a question that starts with the word missä, then your answer should end with the suffix -ssa/-ssä.
So if somebody asks: Missä olit viikonlopuna?
You'll answer: Klubissa, kaupassa, saunassa or whatever...
Again, there are certain verbs that are paired with the word missä, such as käydä, olla, seisoa, and viihtyä.
To learn more about this, check the page entitle "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
Mihin
This typically means "to where".
For example: Mihin menet kesällä? means Where are you going (to) in the summer?
To put a word into the mihin or illatiivi form, we need to do things a little differently. The suffix has to be either:
+Vn: If the word's vartalo ends with a vowel
talo > talo-on nainen > naise-en kauppa > kauppa-an pankki > pankki-in
+hVn: If the word has only 1 syllable and ends with 2 vowels
maa > maahan työ > työhön puu > puuhun tie > tiehen
+seen: If the word contains 2 or more syllables and the vartalo ends with 2 vowels
Lontoo > Lontoo-seen osoite > osoittee-seen kaunis > kaunii-seen tehdas > tehtaa-seen
Notice also that in all words that KPT rules apply to, the mihin form is ALWAYS STRONG unlike with missä and mistä.
So if somebody asks: Mihin maahan menet lomaksi?
You'll answer: Thaimaahan, Skotlantiin, Espanjaan or whatever...
Once again, there are certain verbs that are paired with the word mihin, such as väsyä, tutustua, vaikuttaa, and tottua.
To learn more about this, check the page entitled "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
Mistä
This typically means "from where".
For example: Mistä tulet? means Where do you come from?
And remember, if you're asked a question that starts with the word mistä, then your answer should end with the suffix -sta/-stä.
So If somebody asks: Mistä olet kotoisin?
You'll answer with: Lontoosta, Tukholmasta, Espanjasta or whatever...
Mistä is also often used in the same way as the English word about. For example:
Kirjoitin artikkelin ruoasta. > I wrote an article about food.
Mistä puhut? > What are you talking about?
There are certain verbs that are paired with the question word mistä, such as tykätä, nauttia, ostaa, and puhua.
To learn more about this, check the page entitled "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
Missä
This typically means "in where" or simply "where" when referring to where something is rather than going to or coming from.
For example: Missä istut? means Where are you sitting?
And remember, if you're asked a question that starts with the word missä, then your answer should end with the suffix -ssa/-ssä.
So if somebody asks: Missä olit viikonlopuna?
You'll answer: Klubissa, kaupassa, saunassa or whatever...
Again, there are certain verbs that are paired with the word missä, such as käydä, olla, seisoa, and viihtyä.
To learn more about this, check the page entitle "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
Mihin
This typically means "to where".
For example: Mihin menet kesällä? means Where are you going (to) in the summer?
To put a word into the mihin or illatiivi form, we need to do things a little differently. The suffix has to be either:
+Vn: If the word's vartalo ends with a vowel
talo > talo-on nainen > naise-en kauppa > kauppa-an pankki > pankki-in
+hVn: If the word has only 1 syllable and ends with 2 vowels
maa > maahan työ > työhön puu > puuhun tie > tiehen
+seen: If the word contains 2 or more syllables and the vartalo ends with 2 vowels
Lontoo > Lontoo-seen osoite > osoittee-seen kaunis > kaunii-seen tehdas > tehtaa-seen
Notice also that in all words that KPT rules apply to, the mihin form is ALWAYS STRONG unlike with missä and mistä.
So if somebody asks: Mihin maahan menet lomaksi?
You'll answer: Thaimaahan, Skotlantiin, Espanjaan or whatever...
Once again, there are certain verbs that are paired with the word mihin, such as väsyä, tutustua, vaikuttaa, and tottua.
To learn more about this, check the page entitled "Rektiot <> Rections" in the edistynyt section.
