Breakdown of Poika on kotona, koska hän on nälkäinen.
olla
to be
hän
he / she
kotona
at home
poika
boy
nälkäinen
hungry
koska
because
Questions & Answers about Poika on kotona, koska hän on nälkäinen.
Why is there a comma before koska?
In Finnish, you must use a comma before conjunctions like koska (because) or mutta (but) when they connect two complete mini-sentences. Since Poika on kotona and hän on nälkäinen both have their own subject and verb, Finnish grammar requires a comma to separate them.
Does the word order change after koska?
No. If you have studied languages like German, you might expect the verb to move around after words like "because". In Finnish, you just use the normal word order after koska: subject (hän) + verb (on) + adjective (nälkäinen).
I learned that "in" or "at" is usually -ssa or -llä. Why is "at home" kotona?
The word koti (home) is a bit special. To say "at home", Finnish uses an older location ending -na, making it kotona. You just have to memorize this specific form as a set phrase!
Could I also say hänellä on nälkä for "he is hungry"?
Yes! In fact, hänellä on nälkä (literally "on him is hunger") is the most common way to say this in everyday Finnish. This sentence uses the actual adjective nälkäinen (hungry), which is also perfectly correct but slightly more formal or literal.
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