Breakdown of Se on tämä johtopäätös, johon meidän täytyy keskittyä.
tämä
this
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
me
we
täytyä
to have to
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
keskittyä
to concentrate
johtopäätös
conclusion
Questions & Answers about Se on tämä johtopäätös, johon meidän täytyy keskittyä.
Why does the sentence use johon instead of että for the English word 'that'?
In English, focus structures (cleft sentences) often use the word 'that' (as in 'It is X that...'). Finnish doesn't use the conjunction että for this. Instead, it links the clauses using the relative pronoun joka (which/who), which inflects to match its role in the second clause.
Why is the relative pronoun in the illative form johon?
The verb keskittyä (to focus) always requires the illative case (the 'into' case). Because the second clause means 'we must focus ON the conclusion', the relative pronoun referring back to that conclusion must take the illative form johon.
Could I just say Tämä johtopäätös on se, johon meidän täytyy keskittyä?
Yes, but the emphasis shifts slightly. That alternative means 'This conclusion is the one that we must focus on.' The structure used in this sentence (Se on X, johon...) is specifically built to create a strong, dramatic focus, exactly like 'It is X that...' in English.
Why is the word for 'we' in the genitive case (meidän)?
The verb täytyy (must) is a necessity verb. In Finnish, the subject of a necessity verb must always be in the genitive case. This rule applies entirely normally even when the necessity verb appears inside a relative clause.
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