The conjunction until (kunnes)

Use the conjunction kunnes (until) to express that an action continues up to a specific point in time.

Connecting Clauses with kunnes

Because kunnes introduces a subordinate clause, Finnish grammar requires that you always place a comma before it.

Wait until the water boils.
Odota, kunnes vesi kiehuu.
Be patient until the wound is clean.
Ole kärsivällinen, kunnes haava on puhdas.

Past Tense Narratives

In past tense narratives, both the main clause and the kunnes clause usually take the past tense.

The soup boiled until the vegetables were cooked.
Keitto kiehui, kunnes vihannekset olivat kypsiä.
I was patient and waited for a week until the package arrived.
Olin kärsivällinen ja odotin viikon, kunnes paketti saapui.

Anticipating a Change of State

Kunnes often describes waiting for a situation to change. Verbs for spontaneous changes of state frequently end in -ua or -yä (like jäähtyä "to cool down", sammua "to go out", or tyyntyä "to calm down").

We chatted in the kitchen until the tea cooled down.
Juttelimme keittiössä, kunnes tee jäähtyi.
We walked on the street until the lights went out.
Kävelimme kadulla, kunnes valot sammuivat.
I watched the sea until the wind calmed down.
Katsoin merta, kunnes tuuli tyyntyi.
We drove to new cities until the streets quieted down.
Ajoimme uusiin kaupunkeihin, kunnes kadut hiljentyivät.
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