Breakdown of Kun me purjehdimme, kuka ohjaa?
me
we
kuka
who
kun
when (conjunction)
purjehtia
to sail
ohjata
to steer
Questions & Answers about Kun me purjehdimme, kuka ohjaa?
Why is there a comma after purjehdimme?
In Finnish, a comma is always required to separate a subordinate clause (like this kun clause) from the main clause. Even though the sentence is very short, you cannot skip the comma.
The dictionary form for 'to sail' is purjehtia. Why does it become purjehdimme?
This is an example of consonant gradation. Adding the -mme ending closes the final syllable, which forces the strong consonant t in purjehtia to weaken into hd.
Could I drop the word me and just say Kun purjehdimme?
Yes! Because the verb ending -mme already tells us the subject is 'we', the pronoun me is completely optional. It is very common to drop it in both spoken and written Finnish.
What verb type is ohjaa and how is it formed here?
It comes from the type 4 verb ohjata (to steer). For type 4 verbs, the third-person singular form (used here with kuka) is exactly the same as the verb stem, which is ohjaa.
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