Breakdown of Kun lento myöhästyy, lentäjä ilmoittaa uuden aikataulun.
uusi
new
kun
when (conjunction)
myöhästyä
to be late
ilmoittaa
to inform
aikataulu
schedule
lento
flight
lentäjä
pilot
Questions & Answers about Kun lento myöhästyy, lentäjä ilmoittaa uuden aikataulun.
Since we are learning the referative construction, can I shorten the kun clause to lennon myöhästyvän?
No, you can't. The referative construction (-van/-vän) specifically replaces että (that) clauses, typically after verbs of reporting or thinking. Because this sentence uses kun (when) to express time, shortening it requires the temporal construction (-essa/-essä), which would be lennon myöhästyessä.
How would I use the referative construction if I wanted to say "The pilot announces that the flight is delayed"?
First, you drop the word että. Then, the subject of the sub-clause (lento) is put into the genitive case (lennon). Finally, the verb becomes a participle with the -van ending. The result is: Lentäjä ilmoittaa lennon myöhästyvän.
Why is the verb myöhästyy used here instead of a passive form, since the English translation says the flight "is delayed"?
In Finnish, myöhästyä is an intransitive verb meaning "to become late" or "to run late." It doesn't take an object, and the action happens on its own from the perspective of the sentence. You don't need a passive form because the verb itself already carries that automatic meaning.
Why does uusi aikataulu become uuden aikataulun at the end of the sentence?
It is the direct object of the verb ilmoittaa (to announce). Because the pilot is announcing the entire schedule (a complete action) and the sentence is an affirmative main clause, the object takes the -n ending. This is the accusative case, though it looks identical to the genitive.
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