Breakdown of Matkustaja kiinnittää turvavyön, ennen kuin hän nukahtaa.
hän
he / she
nukahtaa
to fall asleep
matkustaja
passenger
turvavyö
seatbelt
Questions & Answers about Matkustaja kiinnittää turvavyön, ennen kuin hän nukahtaa.
Why is there a comma right before ennen kuin?
In Finnish grammar, you must generally use a comma to separate a main clause from a subordinate clause. Since ennen kuin (before) introduces a subordinate clause, the comma goes right before the word ennen. You never put a comma between ennen and kuin.
Does the phrase ennen kuin change the word order of the clause that follows it?
No, it doesn't. While some European languages change the word order in subordinate clauses, Finnish generally keeps the standard Subject-Verb-Object order. Here, it is simply the subject hän followed by the verb nukahtaa.
Why is the word for seatbelt written as turvavyön instead of its basic form turvavyö?
It is in the genitive-accusative case (ending in -n) because it is the total object of the sentence. Fastening the seatbelt is a complete, finished action, so the object takes this form rather than the partitive case.
What is the difference between nukahtaa and the basic verb nukkua?
Nukkua means to sleep (a continuous state), while nukahtaa means to fall asleep (a momentary action or change of state). The -htaa ending in Finnish verbs is often used to show that an action happens suddenly, briefly, or just once.