Breakdown of Valmistujaiset olivat päivä, jona minä vihdoin menestyin.
olla
to be
minä
I
päivä
day
vihdoin
finally
Questions & Answers about Valmistujaiset olivat päivä, jona minä vihdoin menestyin.
Why is the relative pronoun jona used here?
Jona is the essive case of the relative pronoun joka (which). In Finnish, the essive case (ending in -na or -nä) is commonly used to express a point in time, such as days, seasons, or dates. In this sentence, päivä, jona translates to "the day on which" or simply "the day when".
Why is the word for graduation, valmistujaiset, in the plural form?
In Finnish, words for parties, celebrations, and ceremonies are almost always grammatically plural. Other common examples include häät (wedding) and syntymäpäivät (birthday party). Because valmistujaiset is a plural word, it must be followed by the plural verb olivat (were).
If valmistujaiset is plural and takes a plural verb, why is päivä singular?
Even though the word for the graduation celebration is grammatically plural, it refers to one single event that happened on one specific day. Finnish allows a plural subject to equate to a singular word like päivä when the real-world logic of the sentence demands it.
I know the verb onnistua means "to succeed". What is the difference between that and menestyin?
The base form of menestyin is menestyä. While both verbs mean "to succeed", onnistua is used when you successfully complete a specific action or manage to do something in the moment. Menestyä is used for broader, more general success, such as prospering in life, doing well in a career, or becoming successful over time.