Question 1

Why is katkeraa mehua in the partitive case?

Accepted Answer

Mehu (juice) is an uncountable mass noun, and in this sentence, you are drinking an unspecified amount of it (essentially "some bitter juice"). When the object is a mass noun like this, it takes the partitive case.

Question 2

Why is silmäsiteen in the genitive-accusative case (-n), unlike the juice?

Accepted Answer

Taking the blindfold off is a completed action that affects a whole, countable object (one blindfold). Finnish marks this kind of "total object" with the genitive-accusative case (-n). The juice is an open-ended mass noun, which is why it stays in the partitive.

Question 3

How does the word silmäside change to silmäsiteen?

Accepted Answer

The word silmäside (blindfold) is a noun ending in -e. When declining -e words, the final vowel doubles to -ee- before the ending. This also triggers consonant gradation, where the weak d becomes a strong t. This creates the stem silmäsitee-, to which we add the -n ending.

Question 4

Why is it ennen kuin instead of just ennen for "before"?

Accepted Answer

You must use the phrase ennen kuin when "before" introduces a full clause with its own verb (here, otin). You only use ennen by itself when it is followed directly by a noun, such as ennen yötä (before the night).

Question 5

How do you form the phrase "to take off" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

You use the verb ottaa (to take) paired with the adverb pois (away/off). Notice how they often wrap around the object in the sentence: otin silmäsiteen pois literally translates to "I took the blindfold away."

Join katkeraa mehua ennen kuin otin silmäsiteen pois.

Breakdown of Join katkeraa mehua ennen kuin otin silmäsiteen pois.

Questions & Answers about Join katkeraa mehua ennen kuin otin silmäsiteen pois.

Learn Join katkeraa mehua ennen kuin otin silmäsiteen pois and more in Finnish