Breakdown of Konduktööri seisoi minua vastapäätä kädet ristissä.
minä
I
seisoa
to stand
käsi
hand
konduktööri
conductor
Questions & Answers about Konduktööri seisoi minua vastapäätä kädet ristissä.
How does the phrase kädet ristissä translate to "with his arms crossed" without using a word for "with"?
This is an absolute phrase of state. In Finnish, you often describe a physical posture by putting a body part in the basic nominative case (kädet) immediately followed by its state or location (ristissä, literally "in a cross"). You do not need a word for "with" or a possessive suffix here.
Why is minua in the partitive case instead of the genitive case, which most postpositions take?
The word vastapäätä (opposite) is an exception to the usual rule. While most postpositions require the genitive case, vastapäätä is part of a small group of spatial words that require the partitive case, which is why we see minua vastapäätä instead of minun vastapäätä.
Could I change the word order and say vastapäätä minua?
Yes, you can! The word vastapäätä is one of the few Finnish adpositions that can act as either a postposition (minua vastapäätä) or a preposition (vastapäätä minua). Both are grammatically correct and mean the exact same thing.
The word kädet usually means "hands." Why does the English translation say "arms crossed"?
While Finnish has a specific word for arms (käsivarret), the set phrase for crossing your arms over your chest is always kädet ristissä (literally "hands in a cross"). It can also mean folding your hands, so you have to rely on context to know which physical pose is happening.