Word
Minä olin siivoojana Suomessa.
Meaning
I was working as a cleaner in Finland.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Minä olin siivoojana Suomessa.
Why does the Finnish sentence translate to "working as a cleaner" when the word for "working" isn't there?
In Finnish, you often don't need a separate verb for "working" when talking about someone's job or temporary role. By taking the profession siivooja (cleaner) and adding the essive ending -na, you create siivoojana. When combined with the verb olla (to be), it naturally translates to "being a cleaner" or "working as a cleaner".
Why does siivooja take the -na ending instead of -nä?
The choice between -na and -nä depends on vowel harmony. Because the word siivooja contains the back vowels o and a, the ending must also use the back vowel a, making it -na.
Could I drop the word Minä and just say Olin siivoojana Suomessa?
Yes! Because the verb ending in olin already tells us "I" is the subject, the pronoun minä is completely optional. Including it just adds a little bit of emphasis, like saying that I was the one working as a cleaner.
Why is "in Finland" Suomessa and not Suomella?