Breakdown of Asiakirja todistaa totuuden, sillä lausunto on selkeä.
olla
to be
selkeä
clear
totuus
truth
asiakirja
document
Questions & Answers about Asiakirja todistaa totuuden, sillä lausunto on selkeä.
Why use sillä instead of koska here?
Both sillä and koska mean because, but they belong to different grammar families. The word koska is a subordinating conjunction, while sillä is a coordinating conjunction (just like ja or mutta) that connects two independent main clauses. In everyday speech, koska is much more common, while sillä sounds a bit more formal or written. Always place a comma before sillä.
Why is the word totuus (truth) in the genitive case here (totuuden)?
It acts as the total object of the verb todistaa (to prove). Because the action is completed and the sentence is affirmative, the object takes the genitive-like accusative ending -n. If the sentence were negative, it would take the partitive case instead: ei todista totuutta.
Is the verb todistaa (to prove) related to the Finnish word for true?
Yes! It is derived from the word tosi (true). By adding a verb-forming suffix, it becomes todistaa, which essentially means to show something to be true or to testify.
How is the word asiakirja (document) formed?