Breakdown of Mies saapuu hotelliin juhlimasta.
mies
man
hotelli
hotel
juhlia
to party / to celebrate
saapua
to arrive
Questions & Answers about Mies saapuu hotelliin juhlimasta.
Why is the word for celebrating written as juhlimasta?
This is the third infinitive elative form taught in this lesson. It is built from the verb juhlia (to celebrate). You take the stem juhli-, add the third infinitive marker -ma-, and then the elative case ending -sta (from/out of). It literally translates to from celebrating.
When do we use this -masta form?
You use the -masta or -mästä form when someone is returning, coming, or arriving from doing an action. Just as you can arrive from a physical place, you can also arrive from an activity (juhlimasta = from celebrating).
Why does the sentence use hotelliin (into the hotel) if the English translation says at the hotel?
In English you arrive at a place, but Finnish treats arriving as a movement towards a destination. The verb saapua (to arrive) requires a directional case. Because a hotel is an enclosed building, we use the illative case hotelliin (into the hotel).
Could I just say juhlista instead of juhlimasta?
Yes, but it changes the grammar slightly. Juhlista is the elative form of the noun juhla (party), so it means from the party. Our sentence uses the verb form juhlimasta, which focuses specifically on the action of celebrating.
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