Breakdown of Maraton oli kivulias, mutta juoksija saavutti kuitenkin maaliviivan.
olla
to be
mutta
but
saavuttaa
to reach
kuitenkin
however
maraton
marathon
kivulias
painful
juoksija
runner
maaliviiva
finish line
Questions & Answers about Maraton oli kivulias, mutta juoksija saavutti kuitenkin maaliviivan.
Why use both mutta and kuitenkin in the same sentence? Isn't that redundant like saying 'but however'?
In Finnish, it is very common and natural to pair the conjunction mutta (but) with the adverb kuitenkin (however / anyway). While mutta simply connects the two clauses, kuitenkin adds extra emphasis to the contrast. In English, this combination usually translates best as 'but... anyway' or 'but... still'.
Why does kuitenkin come after the verb saavutti instead of right after mutta?
Adverbial connectors of contrast like kuitenkin usually prefer to sit right after the first verb in their clause. Instead of piling words up at the beginning of the clause (which can sound clumsy), placing it after the verb saavutti makes the rhythm and flow of the sentence much more natural.
Why does the word for finish line end in -n (maaliviivan)?
The verb saavuttaa (to reach) takes a total object when an action is successfully completed. Because the runner fully and successfully reached the finish line, the base word maaliviiva takes the genitive-accusative ending -n to show that the action was finished.
How is the word kivulias (painful) formed?
It comes from the noun kipu (pain). When the adjective-forming suffix -lias is added, it triggers consonant gradation. This changes the strong p in the root word to a weak v, giving us kivulias.
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