Kotimatkalla näin toisen lentokoneen lentävän matalalla.

On the way home, I saw another airplane flying low.

Breakdown of Kotimatkalla näin toisen lentokoneen lentävän matalalla.

• toinen: another
• lentokone: the airplane
• -lla: on
• kotimatka: the trip home
• nähdä: to see
• lentää: to fly
• matala: low

Questions & Answers about Kotimatkalla näin toisen lentokoneen lentävän matalalla.

What does Kotimatkalla mean, and how is it constructed?

Kotimatkalla translates to “on the way home.” It is a compound word that combines koti (“home”) with -matkalla (“on the journey”), using the adessive case to indicate location, setting the scene for the action.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun in this sentence?

In Finnish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb conjugation already indicates the subject. Here, näin is the first-person singular past form of “nähdä” (to see), so it clearly implies “I saw,” making the use of an explicit subject unnecessary.

What is the function of the participle lentävän in the sentence?

Lentävän is the present active participle of lentää (“to fly”). It functions as a reduced relative clause modifying toisen lentokoneen, meaning it describes the airplane by conveying that it was flying. This participial construction is a common way in Finnish to add descriptive detail without using a full subordinate clause.

Why are toisen and lentokoneen in the genitive case rather than the nominative or accusative?

When a noun is modified by a participial phrase, Finnish often uses the genitive case to link the noun with its modifier. In this sentence, toisen is the genitive form of toinen (“another”), and lentokoneen is the genitive form of lentokone (“airplane”). This construction helps to integrate the descriptive participle lentävän with the noun phrase, marking the object as being described more fully.

What does matalalla signify, and how does it function in the sentence?

Matalalla means “low” or “at a low altitude.” It is used adverbially to describe the manner in which the airplane was flying. By indicating the altitude, it provides additional context to the action described by the participial phrase, enhancing the overall imagery of the sentence.