Breakdown of Linnunrata hohtaa kirkkaana. Ilma on nimittäin hyvin puhdas.
olla
to be
puhdas
clean
hyvin
very
ilma
air
Questions & Answers about Linnunrata hohtaa kirkkaana. Ilma on nimittäin hyvin puhdas.
Why is nimittäin placed in the middle of the second sentence instead of at the beginning?
Unlike the conjunction koska (because), nimittäin is an explanatory adverb and almost never starts a sentence. It is typically delayed and placed after the first main element or verb of the clause, which is why it comes right after Ilma on here. It functions a lot like adding "you see" or "the reason is" in English.
Could I just combine these two sentences into one using koska?
Absolutely. You could say Linnunrata hohtaa kirkkaana, koska ilma on hyvin puhdas. However, splitting it into two sentences and using nimittäin is a very common, natural way in Finnish to supply a delayed explanation or justification for a statement you just made.
Why is the word for bright in the essive case (kirkkaana) rather than an adverb like brightly (kirkkaasti)?
While kirkkaasti would describe the manner of the glowing, using the essive case kirkkaana describes the state of the subject itself during the action. It implies the Milky Way glows "in a bright state" or "as a bright thing", which is a very typical way to describe visual states in Finnish.
What is the literal meaning of Linnunrata?
It literally means "the bird's path" or "track". It comes from linnun (the genitive form of lintu, bird) and rata (track or path). In ancient Finnish mythology, people believed migratory birds used this glowing band of stars to navigate their way south before winter.