Connecting Clauses with Pronoun Bridges
In English, we often use phrases like "despite the fact that" or "due to the fact that" to connect a preposition to an entire clause. Finnish does something very similar.
Because Finnish postpositions and prepositions require a noun in a specific case, they cannot attach directly to an että (that) clause. Instead, we use the pronoun se (it) as a "bridge." We inflect se into the case the adposition requires, place the adposition next, and follow it with the että clause.
Elative Bridges: siitä huolimatta, että
The postposition huolimatta (despite) requires the elative case. To say "despite the fact that," the bridge pronoun se becomes siitä.
| Despite the fact that education is free, it is not always equal. | Siitä huolimatta, että koulutus on ilmaista, se ei ole aina tasa-arvoista. |
| Compulsory education is important despite the fact that it is not always equal. | Oppivelvollisuus on tärkeä siitä huolimatta, että se ei ole aina tasa-arvoinen. |
Genitive Bridges: sen takia and sen sijaan
Adpositions like takia (because of / due to) and sijaan (instead of) require the genitive case. The bridge pronoun becomes sen.
- sen takia, että (because of the fact that)
- sen sijaan että (instead of the fact that)
Here are some examples dealing with school rules and the curriculum:
| the curriculum | opetussuunnitelma |
| Teaching is difficult because of the fact that the curriculum is quite new. | Opetus on vaikeaa sen takia, että opetussuunnitelma on aivan uusi. |
| Instead of promoting discipline, the principal punishes the teachers. | Sen sijaan että rehtori edistää kuria, hän rankaisee opettajia. |
Illative Bridges: siihen nähden, että
The postposition nähden (considering / in view of) requires the illative case, meaning our bridge pronoun becomes siihen.
- siihen nähden, että (considering the fact that)
| The tuition fee is high considering the fact that the teaching and assessment are poor. | Lukukausimaksu on korkea siihen nähden, että opetus ja arviointi ovat huonoja. |
| The assessment is fair considering the fact that the curriculum is difficult. | Arviointi on reilu siihen nähden, että opetussuunnitelma on vaikea. |