Breakdown of Sohvat, joilla istumme, ovat vastakkain.
olla
to be
istua
to sit
sohva
sofa
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
vastakkain
opposite each other
Questions & Answers about Sohvat, joilla istumme, ovat vastakkain.
How does the word vastakkain break down in this sentence?
It is formed from the root vasta- (meaning against or opposite) and the mutual arrangement suffix -kkain. Together, it describes the physical position of the sofas: they are placed facing or opposite each other.
Why is the relative pronoun joka in the form joilla here?
The relative pronoun must reflect the case required by the action happening to the noun. In Finnish, you sit on a sofa, which requires the adessive case (the -lla/-llä ending). Because sohvat is plural, the relative pronoun joka becomes the plural adessive joilla (on which).
Why are there commas around joilla istumme?
The phrase joilla istumme (on which we sit) is a relative clause providing extra information about the sofas. In Finnish grammar, relative clauses inserted into the middle of a sentence must always be enclosed in commas to separate them from the main clause (Sohvat ovat vastakkain).
Why is the main verb ovat in the third-person plural instead of matching istumme?
The main subject of the sentence is Sohvat (The sofas), which is a third-person plural noun. The main verb ovat (they are) agrees with the sofas. The verb istumme (we sit) only belongs to the internal relative clause describing who is sitting.
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