Breakdown of Meidän projektimme on valmisteilla.
olla
to be
me
we
projekti
project
valmisteilla
in preparation
Questions & Answers about Meidän projektimme on valmisteilla.
How is the word valmisteilla formed from the base verb?
It comes from the verb valmistaa (to prepare or manufacture) turned into the noun valmiste. We put it in the plural adessive case (-illa) to create a process adverbial, which describes something currently in the state of being prepared.
The current lesson mentions adding a possessive suffix to these words, like meneillään. Why doesn't valmisteilla have one here?
These process adverbials take a possessive suffix when the subject of the sentence is the one actively doing the process. Here, the project isn't preparing itself; it is the target of the action. When describing a passive state (being prepared by someone else), the possessive suffix is left off.
Could I just use the passive verb form and say Meidän projektiamme valmistetaan instead?
Yes, both sentences mean the project is being prepared. However, on valmisteilla focuses on the current state or status of the project, while valmistetaan emphasizes the ongoing action of people preparing it. Also notice that the passive verb requires the subject to be in the partitive case (projektiamme), while the state uses the nominative (projektimme).
Is it mandatory to use both the pronoun Meidän and the possessive suffix -mme on projektimme?
In formal or standard written Finnish, it is standard to use both, though you can drop Meidän and just use projektimme. However, in everyday spoken Finnish, it is very common to drop the suffix entirely and just say Meidän projekti on valmisteilla.
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