In film photography, results are never instant. You don't see your image until you process the film in a darkroom. To express that an action is delayed and happens "only" at a certain point or "not until" later, Finnish uses the affirmative adverb vasta.
Expressing Delay with "vasta"
While English often uses a negative phrase like "not until tomorrow" to show delay, Finnish states this affirmatively. Simply place the adverb vasta directly before the time expression.
| I will develop the film only tomorrow. | Kehitän filmin vasta huomenna. |
If you want to explicitly contrast a negative action with a delayed affirmative one, use the conjunction vaan (but rather) followed by vasta. This works for locations as well as times.
| I do not open the film here, but rather only in the darkroom. | En avaa filmiä täällä, vaan vasta pimiössä. |
Naturally, vasta can be paired with any phrase indicating time or duration, such as "after an hour" or "later".
| I expose the negative only after an hour. | Valotan negatiivin vasta tunnin kuluttua. |
| The prints are small, so I enlarge them only later. | Vedokset ovat pieniä, joten suurennan ne vasta myöhemmin. |
Using "vasta" with Events and Stages
The delay can also be tied to a specific event or stage in a process.
When an action is delayed until an entire event occurs (meaning "only when..."), place vasta right before the conjunction kun. Note that standard Finnish punctuation requires a comma before kun.
| I see the prints only when I put them into the developer. | Näen vedokset vasta, kun laitan ne kehitteeseen. |
You can also use vasta to emphasize that something is happening "only at the end" of a process or "only now".
| Put the developer into the tray only at the end. | Laita kehite altaaseen vasta lopussa. |
| I immerse the paper into the tray only now. | Upotan paperin altaaseen vasta nyt. |
