Breakdown of Kun joku kuolee, sanomme: otan osaa.
sanoa
to say
joku
somebody, someone
kun
when (conjunction)
kuolla
to die
Questions & Answers about Kun joku kuolee, sanomme: otan osaa.
Why does otan osaa translate to 'my condolences'?
Literally, otan osaa means 'I take part'. It is the standard, polite Finnish idiom for expressing sympathy, and it is essentially short for otan osaa suruusi (I take part in your sorrow).
Why is the object in this idiom the partitive osaa instead of the accusative osan?
The partitive osaa is used here because the action is abstract, referring to sharing an emotional burden. If you said otan osan, using the accusative case, it would mean you are physically taking a concrete piece or share of something, like a slice of pie.
Could you rewrite the second half using että (that), such as sanomme, että otan osaa?
No, that would be incorrect because it mixes indirect speech with a direct quote. If you use että, you must adjust the verb to match the main subject: sanomme, että otamme osaa (we say that we offer our condolences). The colon in this sentence cleanly introduces the exact phrase people say.