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Onkalo, jonne menemme, on tutkittava kompassilla.

Onkalo, jonne menemme, on tutkittava kompassilla.
The cavern where we are going must be explored with a compass.
From Lesson 480:Relative pronouns for locations (jossa, josta, jonne)·Finnish

Questions & Answers about Onkalo, jonne menemme, on tutkittava kompassilla.

Why does the sentence use jonne for "where" instead of minne?
This ties into the current lesson! In standard written Finnish, when referring back to a specific physical location noun (here, onkalo), you must use a form of the relative pronoun joka. jonne is a relative adverb derived from joka, meaning "to which" or "where to". While minne (derived from mikä) is very common in everyday speech, standard grammar prescribes a joka-based word here.
Could I use johon instead of jonne in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. johon is the actual illative ("into which") case of the pronoun joka. jonne and johon are entirely interchangeable in this context, and both perfectly follow the rule of using a joka-based word for specific physical locations.
What kind of structure is on tutkittava?
This is the passive present participle (using the -ttava/-tävä ending) combined with the verb olla to express necessity. It translates literally to "is to-be-explored" or "must be explored". It functions as a slightly more formal, passive equivalent to using a standard necessity verb like täytyy.
Since necessive sentences often require a genitive subject, why is Onkalo in the nominative case here?
In an active necessive sentence like Meidän on tutkittava onkalo (We must explore the cavern), the doer of the action (Meidän) is in the genitive. However, in this specific sentence, there is no genitive doer attached to the necessity. Instead, the passive participle acts almost like an adjective describing Onkalo. Because Onkalo is the grammatical subject of the main verb on ("The cavern is..."), it stays in the nominative case.
Why use the -lla ending on kompassilla instead of kompassin kanssa for "with a compass"?
The adessive case (-lla/-llä) is the standard grammatical way to express an instrument or tool used to perform an action. Using kanssa usually implies accompaniment or company ("together with"), which would sound a bit poetic or strange here, almost as if the compass were your hiking companion rather than a tool you are operating.

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