Breakdown of Tämä lausunto todistaa, että poika on viaton.
tämä
this
olla
to be
poika
boy
että
that (conjunction)
viaton
innocent
todistaa
to prove
lausunto
statement
Questions & Answers about Tämä lausunto todistaa, että poika on viaton.
The current lesson is about the conjunction sillä. Could I use sillä instead of että here?
No. Sillä is a coordinating conjunction that means 'because' or 'for' and gives a reason. Here, we need the subordinating conjunction että (that) to introduce the fact being proved. The sentence says the statement proves that the boy is innocent, not because he is innocent.
Why is there a mandatory comma before että?
In Finnish grammar, you must place a comma before että when it connects two clauses that both contain a conjugated verb. Here, it separates the main verb todistaa from the subordinate verb on. Unlike in English, you cannot skip this comma.
How is the adjective viaton (innocent) built?
It is built from the noun vika, meaning a fault, flaw, or defect. By attaching the suffix -ton, which means 'without' (similar to the English '-less'), you get a word that literally means 'faultless'. Notice that adding the suffix triggers consonant gradation, causing the 'k' in vika to disappear.
The word lausunto translates to statement. Is it related to the common word lause?
Yes, they share the same root! Both come from the verb lausua (to say or to utter). A lause refers to a grammatical sentence or clause, whereas a lausunto is a formal statement, official declaration, or expressed opinion.
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