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Questions & Answers about Bussi lähtee täältä.
Why is the word for "here" written as "täältä" instead of "täällä"?
In Finnish, you change the ending of a location word based on movement. The ending -ltä means "from" a place. If the bus was just parked there, you would use täällä (here / at here). Because the bus is moving away, we must use täältä (from here).
How is the verb "lähtee" formed?
The dictionary form of the verb is lähteä (to leave). To say "the bus leaves" (the he/she/it form), you take the stem lähte- and double the last vowel, which gives you lähtee.
Why does the Finnish word "bussi" end with an "i"?
Finnish strongly prefers words to end in a vowel. When borrowing words from other languages that end in consonants, like "bus", Finnish usually adds an -i to the end to make it fit naturally into Finnish pronunciation rules.
Could I switch the word order and say "Täältä lähtee bussi"?
Yes! Finnish word order is very flexible. Bussi lähtee täältä focuses on the bus itself. Saying Täältä lähtee bussi shifts the focus to the location (as in, "From here is where the bus leaves"). Both are perfectly correct for a beginner to use.