Breakdown of Onkohan tämän vanhan laatikon takana kätkö?
tämä
this
olla
to be
vanha
old
laatikko
box
takana
behind
kätkö
stash
Questions & Answers about Onkohan tämän vanhan laatikon takana kätkö?
How does the word onkohan translate to 'I wonder if there is'?
It is made of three parts. It starts with the verb on (is). Then the question particle -ko makes it a yes/no question ('is there?'). Finally, the clitic -han softens the question and adds a sense of pondering. Together, the fused clitic -kohan is the standard way to express 'I wonder if' in Finnish.
Why are the words for 'this old box' in the genitive case (tämän vanhan laatikon)?
They are in the genitive case because they come right before the postposition takana (behind). In Finnish, almost all postpositions require the noun phrase preceding them to take the genitive -n ending.
Why is the subject kätkö (stash) placed at the very end of the sentence?
This is an existential sentence, which states that something exists in a location. In a normal statement, the location comes first and the subject is last. Because this is a question, the verb onkohan is pulled to the front, but the subject kätkö naturally stays in its usual spot at the end.
Can the postposition takana change forms if the action involves movement?
Yes! The form takana has the static locative ending -na, meaning it is just sitting 'behind' the box. If someone were hiding the stash to a place behind the box, you would use taakse, and if someone were taking it from behind the box, you would use takaa.
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