Vaikka vesi on kylmää, minä juon kahvia.

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Breakdown of Vaikka vesi on kylmää, minä juon kahvia.

• olla: to be
• vesi: the water
• kahvi: the coffee
• juoda: to drink
• kylmä: cold
• vaikka: even though

Questions & Answers about Vaikka vesi on kylmää, minä juon kahvia.

What does the conjunction vaikka mean and how is it used in this sentence?

Vaikka means "although" or "even though" in English. It introduces the subordinate clause "vesi on kylmää" to set up a contrast with the main clause "minä juon kahvia." This structure shows that despite the fact that the water is cold, the speaker still drinks coffee.

Why is the adjective kylmä modified to kylmää in the phrase "vesi on kylmää"?

In Finnish, adjectives used in a predicate like this often appear in the partitive case when describing qualities of mass or non-count nouns. Kylmää is the partitive form of the adjective kylmä, and it reflects an ongoing condition or quality, which is common when describing something like water.

Why is kahvi written as kahvia in the sentence "minä juon kahvia"?

The object kahvi takes the partitive form kahvia because Finnish uses the partitive case for objects that represent an indefinite amount or incomplete whole. In the context of drinking, it implies that an unspecified quantity of coffee is being consumed.

Is it necessary to include the subject pronoun minä in this sentence?

No, it isn’t necessary. Finnish verb conjugations already indicate the subject, so minä (meaning "I") is often omitted. In this sentence, the pronoun is included for emphasis or clarity, though the sentence would be grammatically correct without it.

What is the overall sentence structure of "Vaikka vesi on kylmää, minä juon kahvia"?

The sentence is a complex sentence consisting of a subordinate clause and a main clause. The subordinate clause, introduced by vaikka, presents a contrasting condition ("although the water is cold") and is separated by a comma from the main clause, which states the primary action ("I drink coffee"). This structure emphasizes the contrast between the two ideas.

How is the verb juon formed, and what does it indicate about the subject?

Juon is the first person singular present tense form of the verb juoda (to drink). The ending -n clearly indicates that the subject is I. Because the conjugated verb already contains this information, Finnish speakers can choose to omit the subject pronoun, although including it can add emphasis.