Breakdown of Jos vihollinen hyökkää, me pysymme täällä.
me
we
täällä
here
jos
if
pysyä
to stay (remain in a state or position)
hyökätä
to attack
vihollinen
enemy
Questions & Answers about Jos vihollinen hyökkää, me pysymme täällä.
Why does this sentence use täällä (location) instead of a directional word like tänne (to here)?
The verb pysyä (to stay/remain) describes being in a static state, so it takes a "where" (missä) location word like täällä. It is important not to confuse it with the similar verb jäädä (to remain/stay behind), which actually requires a "to where" (mihin) directional word like tänne.
What is the infinitive form of hyökkää, and why does it have a double 'k'?
The infinitive is hyökätä (to attack). It is a Type 4 verb, which means it undergoes "reverse" consonant gradation when conjugated. The single 'k' in the dictionary form strengthens to a double 'k' (kk) in all conjugated forms, such as hyökkää (it attacks).
After the comma, why isn't the word order inverted to ...pysymme me täällä?
Unlike some other European languages, Finnish does not invert the subject and verb in the main clause after an "if" (jos) clause. The main clause simply keeps the standard subject-verb order: me pysymme täällä.
The English translation says "we will stay", but is pysymme in the present tense?
Yes! Finnish does not have a dedicated future tense. You use the present tense (pysymme) to express both what is happening now and what will happen in the future. The conditional "if" context makes it obvious that this refers to a future event.
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