Breakdown of Olimme hengästyneitä, mutta saavutimme kuitenkin maaliviivan.
olla
to be
mutta
but
saavuttaa
to reach
kuitenkin
however
maaliviiva
finish line
hengästynyt
out of breath
Questions & Answers about Olimme hengästyneitä, mutta saavutimme kuitenkin maaliviivan.
Why do we have both mutta and kuitenkin in this sentence? Doesn't mutta already mean "but"?
Yes, mutta means "but", and you could just say mutta saavutimme maaliviivan. Adding kuitenkin strengthens the contrast, similar to saying "but we reached the finish line anyway" or "but we still reached it". Using them together to add emphasis is very common and natural in Finnish.
Why is kuitenkin placed after the verb saavutimme?
In Finnish, adverbs of contrast like kuitenkin usually come after the first verb in their clause. So instead of putting it directly after mutta, the standard word order tucks it right behind the verb, making it mutta saavutimme kuitenkin.
Why does hengästyneitä end in -tä?
It is in the partitive plural. When you use the verb olla (to be) to describe the state or characteristics of a plural subject (here, olimme meaning "we were"), the adjective takes the partitive plural form. The base form of this word is hengästynyt (out of breath).
Why is maaliviiva (finish line) in the genitive case (maaliviivan)?
Reaching the finish line is a completed, successful action. When a transitive action is fully completed, the object takes the genitive-accusative case (ending in -n). If you were still in the ongoing process of reaching it, it would be in the partitive case.
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