Breakdown of Portaissa leijailee aaveita, joita meedio tarkkailee.
porras
step (of stairs)
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
tarkkailla
to observe
aave
the ghost
meedio
the medium
leijailla
to float (gently, e.g. leaves or snow)
Questions & Answers about Portaissa leijailee aaveita, joita meedio tarkkailee.
Why is the verb leijailee in the singular when the subject is the plural aaveita?
This is a dynamic existential clause. Even with an action verb like leijailla (to float or hover), Finnish uses the existential structure to introduce new, indefinite subjects into a scene. Just like with the verb olla (to be), the location comes first (portaissa), the verb is locked in the 3rd person singular (leijailee), and the indefinite plural subject is in the partitive case (aaveita).
Why is the relative pronoun joita in the partitive case?
The pronoun joita refers back to aaveita (ghosts). It is in the partitive case here because it acts as the object of the verb tarkkailla (to observe or watch). Since tarkkailla describes a continuous, ongoing action, it always requires a partitive object.
Why do we use the inessive case in portaissa instead of the adessive to say 'on the stairs'?
The base word portaat (stairs) is a plural word. In Finnish, you generally exist or do things 'in' the stairs, so the inessive case (portaissa) is standard. This treats the stairway as a three-dimensional space or structure rather than just a flat surface.
Could we flip the word order at the end to joita tarkkailee meedio?
You could, but it sounds a bit poetic or dramatic. In a relative clause, standard Finnish word order is generally preferred. Because the object (joita) must come first to link the clauses, the most natural flow is for the subject (meedio) to follow immediately, ending with the verb (tarkkailee).
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