Breakdown of Maljakko on muuten ehjä, mutta siinä on pieni naarmu.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
mutta
but
pieni
small
maljakko
vase
muuten
by the way
ehjä
intact
naarmu
scratch
Questions & Answers about Maljakko on muuten ehjä, mutta siinä on pieni naarmu.
Why do we use siinä on instead of sillä on for 'it has'?
When talking about inanimate objects having a physical feature, part, or flaw (like a vase having a scratch), Finnish typically uses the inessive case (-ssa/-ssä) rather than the adessive case (-lla/-llä). So siinä on literally means 'in it is', which translates naturally to 'it has' when describing the vase.
I usually see muuten translated as 'by the way'. How does it mean 'otherwise' here?
Muuten is a versatile adverb. While it often introduces a new conversational topic ('by the way'), its core meaning is 'otherwise' or 'in other respects'. In this sentence, it tells us that except for the scratch, the vase is completely fine.
This lesson focuses on past passive participles. Could we use a participle instead of ehjä here?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Ehjä is a standard adjective describing a natural state ('intact' or 'unbroken'). A past passive participle like korjattu (repaired) or pelastettu (saved) implies that an action was completed by someone. Using ehjä just describes the condition without implying any action happened to it.
Are ehjä (intact) and ehkä (maybe) related?
No, despite looking very similar, they are completely unrelated words. It is very common for learners at this level to mix these up, so it is helpful to pause and make sure you are using ehjä for physical objects that are whole and unbroken, and ehkä when expressing uncertainty.
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