Breakdown of Matkustajien astuessa raitiovaunuun ulkona sataa.
ulkona
outside
sataa
to rain
astua
to step
raitiovaunu
tram
matkustaja
passenger
Questions & Answers about Matkustajien astuessa raitiovaunuun ulkona sataa.
How does Matkustajien astuessa translate to 'when the passengers step'?
This is the active temporal construction. Instead of using the word kun (when), Finnish uses the second infinitive of the verb in the inessive case, which adds the ending -ssa or -ssä. Here, the verb astua (to step) becomes astuessa (in the act of stepping).
Why is matkustajien in the genitive case here?
In a temporal construction, the doer of the action is put into the genitive case. Since there are multiple passengers, we use the plural genitive matkustajien. Literally, it translates to something like 'in the passengers' stepping'.
Does astuessa indicate that this is happening in the present tense?
Not on its own. The temporal construction does not have a tense. It always happens at the same time as the main verb of the sentence. Because the main verb sataa (it is raining) is in the present tense, we know the stepping is also happening right now. If the sentence ended with satoi (it rained), it would mean 'when the passengers stepped'.
Why do we use the illative case raitiovaunuun (into the tram) instead of the inessive case?
In Finnish, verbs of motion like astua (to step) require a directional case because the passengers are moving from the outside to the inside of a place. Therefore, we use the illative case ending -un to show movement into the tram.
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