Breakdown of Mies, joka on laiska mutta rehellinen, nukkuu sohvalla.
olla
to be
mutta
but
mies
man
nukkua
to sleep
sohva
sofa
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
laiska
lazy
rehellinen
honest
Questions & Answers about Mies, joka on laiska mutta rehellinen, nukkuu sohvalla.
Why is joka in its basic dictionary form here?
The relative pronoun joka (who/which) takes its form based on its role inside the relative clause, not the main sentence. Here, it acts as the subject of the phrase "joka on laiska" (who is lazy), so it stays in the basic nominative form.
Can I move the joka part to the end of the sentence?
No, because joka generally refers to the noun immediately before it. If you moved the clause to the end ("Mies nukkuu sohvalla, joka on laiska..."), it would mean the sofa (sohva) is lazy and honest, not the man!
Are the commas around the joka phrase required?
Yes! Unlike English, where commas with "who" or "which" can sometimes be dropped depending on the exact meaning, Finnish grammar strictly requires you to separate a relative clause from the rest of the sentence with commas.
Why does the sentence use sohvalla instead of sohvassa?
Sohvalla has the -lla ending, which means "on" or "on top of". We use this because the man is sleeping on the sofa. If you used sohvassa (with the -ssa ending meaning "inside"), it would sound like he is physically stuffed inside the sofa's cushions!
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