Olohuone on siisti, mutta keittiö tarvitsee siivousta.

The living room is tidy, but the kitchen needs cleaning.

Breakdown of Olohuone on siisti, mutta keittiö tarvitsee siivousta.

• olla: to be
• mutta: but
• tarvita: to need
• keittiö: the kitchen
• siisti: tidy
• olohuone: the living room
• siivous: the cleaning

Questions & Answers about Olohuone on siisti, mutta keittiö tarvitsee siivousta.

Why is the adjective "siisti" used in this sentence instead of something like "siistiä"?

In Finnish, when you're stating a direct quality of a noun (like "Olohuone on siisti"), the adjective is usually in the nominative form (siisti) because it’s describing the subject in a straightforward way. If you were using the partitive form, "siistiä", it could imply something continuous or incomplete, but here it's a simple statement of fact: The living room is tidy.

Why does "keittiö" use "tarvitsee" instead of "tarvita" or another form?

"Tarvitsee" is the third person singular conjugation of the verb "tarvita" (to need). In Finnish, you need to conjugate the verb according to the subject:

• Minä tarvitsen
• Sinä tarvitset
• Hän/Se tarvitsee
• Me tarvitsemme
• Te tarvitsette
• He tarvitsevat

Since keittiö is essentially "it" in English, you use "tarvitsee" in Finnish.

Why is "siivousta" in the partitive case instead of the nominative "siivous"?

When you say something needs cleaning, you’re referring to an action or a process that isn't completed yet. In Finnish, that often takes the partitive. "Keittiö tarvitsee siivousta" implies that there is some cleaning to be done, rather than a completed event.

Why use "mutta" instead of "ja"?

"Mutta" means "but" in Finnish, indicating a contrast between the two parts of the sentence: The living room is tidy, but on the other hand, the kitchen needs cleaning. "Ja" would simply join them as and without showing this contrast.

Can "siivousta" be replaced with "siivota"?

Not exactly in the same structure. If you wanted to say something like The kitchen needs to be cleaned, you could use "Keittiö täytyy siivota" (or "Keittiö pitää siivota"). But when using the verb "tarvita," you usually pair it with a noun referring to the required thing or action in the partitive, hence "siivousta."