Uncovering the truth often means facing obstacles. When investigative journalists vow to publish their story "no matter what happens" or "whoever threatens them," they use a specific Finnish concessive conditional structure.
The "No Matter What" Formula
To express "no matter what/who/where," Finnish combines a verb with the emphatic clitic -pa or -pä, an interrogative (question) pronoun, and the word tahansa.
- Conjugate your main verb and attach the clitic -pa or -pä (following vowel harmony rules). This verb almost always starts the clause.
- Add an interrogative word like mitä (what) or kuka (who).
- Follow it with the word tahansa.
| Whatever happens, we will publish this revelation and prevent corruption. | Tapahtuipa mitä tahansa, me julkaisemme tämän paljastuksen ja estämme korruption. |
| Whoever threatens me, neither the police nor the elite can silence me. | Uhkaileepa minua kuka tahansa, ei poliisi eikä eliitti voi vaientaa minua. |
Adapting the Question Word
By simply changing the interrogative word in the middle of the phrase, you can easily shift the meaning to "wherever," "however," or "to whomever."
For example, using kuinka (how) lets you express "however much" or "however big":
| However big the bribe is, I will not hide this shady contract. | Olipa lahjus kuinka iso tahansa, en piilota tätä hämärää sopimusta. |
| However much one threatens a journalist, this revelation will be seen tomorrow in the news. | Uhkaileepa toimittajaa kuinka paljon tahansa, tämä paljastus näkyy huomenna uutisissa. |
Using minne (where to) creates "wherever":
| Wherever one hides a piece of evidence, someone always finds it. | Piilottaapa todisteen minne tahansa, joku löytää sen aina. |
Works in Any Tense
This formula is highly flexible. The verb carrying the -pa/-pä clitic can be in the present tense, the past tense, or even a conditional form. The rest of the structure remains exactly the same.
Here is the structure using the past tense verb teki (did):
| No matter what this shady elite does, they cannot silence me. | Tekipä tämä hämärä eliitti mitä tahansa, he eivät voi vaientaa minua. |
And here it is using the past tense antoi (gave) with the question word kenelle (to whom):
| Whoever the witness gives the bribe to, the police always find him. | Antoipa todistaja lahjuksen kenelle tahansa, poliisi löytää hänet aina. |
Armed with this grammar, you can stand by your sources and pursue the story despite any pressure!
| source protection | lähdesuoja |
| Whatever the police say, source protection is important despite the pressure. | Sanoipa poliisi mitä tahansa, lähdesuoja on tärkeä painostuksesta huolimatta. |