Questions & Answers about Mies, joka huutaa, on vihainen.
What word does joka refer back to in this sentence?
It refers directly back to the word right before the comma: mies (the man). Because mies is in the basic form (nominative singular), the relative pronoun joka is also used in its basic form here.
Why are there commas before joka and after huutaa?
Unlike in English, Finnish grammar requires you to always put a comma before a relative pronoun like joka. Because the phrase joka huutaa (who is shouting) is an extra clause that interrupts the main sentence (Mies on vihainen), you also need a second comma at the end to close the clause.
How do we know to use the verb form huutaa after joka?
The word joka acts as the subject of its own mini-sentence. Since it stands in for mies (a third-person singular word like he or she), the verb takes the third-person singular ending. Just like you say hän huutaa (he shouts), you say joka huutaa.
If the sentence was about multiple men, how would the word joka change?
It would become jotka, which is the nominative plural form of joka. The sentence would start: Miehet, jotka huutavat... (The men, who are shouting...).
Does huutaa mean 'shouts' or 'is shouting' here?