Question 1

Why does this sentence use josta instead of mistä for 'from which'?

Accepted Answer

In standard written Finnish, the relative pronoun joka (here in the elative case, josta) is strictly used when referring back to a specific physical antecedent, which in this case is the noun seinä. While you will frequently hear mistä used for physical locations in casual spoken Finnish, standard grammar requires the joka family for concrete physical nouns.

Question 2

Why is josta in the elative case (-sta) rather than the ablative (-lta) if the stalactite is hanging off the wall?

Accepted Answer

The verb riippua (to hang) typically takes the elative case to express what something is hanging from. While English says hanging 'on' or 'off' a surface, Finnish treats the point of attachment as an origin point out of which the object hangs. As a B2 learner, you might also remember that riippua + elative is used metaphorically to mean 'to depend on'.

Question 3

How does the word tippukivi literally translate?

Accepted Answer

It is a compound of tippu (from tippua, to drip) and kivi (stone), literally meaning 'dripstone'. Finnish uses this single word for both stalactites and stalagmites. You rely on the context or the verb, like riippuu (hangs) in this sentence, to know which one it is.

Question 4

Are the commas around the relative clause josta tippukivi riippuu strictly necessary?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unlike in English, where you often omit commas for defining relative clauses like 'The wall that I painted', Finnish punctuation rules strictly require commas to separate any subordinate relative clause from the main clause.

Seinä, josta tippukivi riippuu, on todella kostea.

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