Breakdown of On todella sääli, että bussi myöhästyy.
olla
to be
bussi
bus
että
that (conjunction)
myöhästyä
to be late
Questions & Answers about On todella sääli, että bussi myöhästyy.
Why is there no word for 'it' at the beginning of the sentence?
In English, we use a 'dummy subject' to say 'It is a pity.' Finnish doesn't do this for general conditions, situations, or weather. You just start the sentence directly with the verb on (is).
Could I say bussi on myöhässä instead of bussi myöhästyy?
Yes! Bussi on myöhässä describes the static condition ('the bus is currently late'). The verb myöhästyä focuses more on the process of getting late or falling behind schedule, so bussi myöhästyy can also be used to mean 'the bus is going to be late.'
Is sääli related to the word for weather?
It looks a lot like sää (weather), but sääli is a completely separate noun meaning 'pity' or 'shame'. The phrase on sääli is the standard way to express 'it is a pity' in Finnish.
Can I use tosi instead of todella here?
Absolutely. Both mean 'really' or 'very'. Todella is a standard adverb, while tosi is slightly more casual and extremely common in spoken Finnish. On tosi sääli works perfectly well.