Breakdown of Juoksija oli väsynyt, mutta hän taisteli kuitenkin sisulla.
olla
to be
hän
he / she
väsynyt
tired
mutta
but
Questions & Answers about Juoksija oli väsynyt, mutta hän taisteli kuitenkin sisulla.
Why do we need both mutta and kuitenkin here? Doesn't that mean "but... however"?
It might look repetitive in English, but it is very common in Finnish! Using mutta (but) together with kuitenkin (however or anyway) emphasizes the contrast. You can think of the combination as meaning "but... anyway" or "but... regardless".
Why is kuitenkin placed after the verb taisteli instead of right after mutta hän?
Adverbial connectors like kuitenkin are quite flexible in Finnish. They usually prefer to sit right after the verb or the specific word they are contrasting. Placing it directly after taisteli highlights that the action of fighting is what happened despite the tiredness.
Why is the word sisulla in the adessive case (the -lla ending)?
The adessive case is often used to show the instrument or means by which an action is done, similar to "with" or "by means of" in English. Here, sisulla shows the means the runner used, translating to "with grit".
Is väsynyt an adjective or a verb form here?
It acts as an adjective here meaning "tired", but you might recognize that it is formed from the verb väsyä (to get tired). Specifically, it is the past active participle, which is a verb form that behaves like an adjective to describe the result of an action.