Expressing contrast (kuitenkin, silti)

When pushing through an endurance sport, you often encounter physical obstacles but have to keep going anyway. In Finnish, you can express this kind of contrast and persistence using the adverbs kuitenkin (however / anyway) and silti (nevertheless / still).

These words are perfect for talking about one of the most famous Finnish concepts: sisu (grit or perseverance).

Expressing "However" with Kuitenkin

Kuitenkin is used to show that an action happens or a situation exists despite what was just stated. It is very common to pair it with the conjunction mutta (but) to emphasize the contrast. Notice that kuitenkin typically doesn't sit at the very beginning of its clause; it usually follows the verb or the subject.

Expressing "Nevertheless" with Silti

Silti works very much like kuitenkin, translating to "nevertheless", "still", or "anyway". It strongly emphasizes persisting despite a clear challenge or obstacle. It shares the same flexible placement rules, usually landing in the middle or at the end of the clause.

Using Contrast Across Conditions and Sentences

You don't always need mutta to create contrast. You can use silti or kuitenkin as the follow-up to a jos (if) clause to show that a result happens regardless of the condition.

You can also drop the conjunction entirely and use kuitenkin or silti in a brand new, independent sentence to contrast with the previous thought.