Kissa leikkii ulkona, mutta koira on poissa.

to be

Breakdown of Kissa leikkii ulkona, mutta koira on poissa.

• koira: the dog
• kissa: the cat
• mutta: but
• leikkiä: to play
• ulkona: outside
• poissa: away

Questions & Answers about Kissa leikkii ulkona, mutta koira on poissa.

Why is kissa in its basic form (nominative)?

In Finnish, subjects often appear in the nominative case, which is the basic form of the noun. Here, kissa functions as the subject of the verb leikkii, so it remains in nominative.

Why do we use leikkii instead of just leikki?

Leikki is the basic dictionary form (infinitive). To indicate that the cat is actively playing, we need the 3rd person singular present tense conjugation leikkii. It matches the subject (the cat) and the tense (present).

What does ulkona mean exactly, and why do we use that form?

Ulkona means outside and is in the inessive case. In Finnish, the inessive suffix -na or -nä can indicate location inside or within a place. In speech, ulkona just expresses the idea that the activity is happening outdoors.

Why is the word poissa used to mean “away” or “absent”?

Poissa literally translates to away, gone, or absent. It’s commonly used to say someone or something is not present. In this sentence, it tells us that the dog is away or missing, rather than just being somewhere else.

Could we replace mutta with another word like vaan?

Mutta and vaan mean but in different contexts. Mutta is a general connector for two contrasting statements. Vaan is typically used in place of but rather or instead. Since the sentence contrasts the cat playing and the dog being away, mutta is natural here.