Minä jään puistossa, koska aurinko paistaa.

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Breakdown of Minä jään puistossa, koska aurinko paistaa.

• puisto: the park
• -ssa: in
• koska: because
• aurinko: the sun
• paistaa: to shine
• jäädä: to stay

Questions & Answers about Minä jään puistossa, koska aurinko paistaa.

Why is the subject pronoun Minä explicitly used even though Finnish verbs already indicate the subject?

Finnish verbs carry information about the subject, so the pronoun is technically optional. In this sentence, Minä is included for emphasis and clarity, which is especially helpful for beginners learning the language.

What does the ending -ssa in puistossa indicate?

The ending -ssa is the inessive case marker in Finnish. It shows that the action is taking place in a location—in this case, the park.

What role does the conjunction koska play in the sentence?

Koska means "because" and introduces a subordinate clause that explains the reason for the main clause's action. Here, it tells us that the speaker is staying in the park due to the sun shining.

How are the verbs jään and paistaa conjugated, and what do these forms tell us about their subjects?

Jään is the first person singular form of the verb jäädä, matching the subject Minä (I). Paistaa is the third person singular form, which corresponds to aurinko (the sun). This agreement shows that each verb is correctly matched with its subject.

Is word order flexible in Finnish, and could this sentence be rearranged without changing its meaning?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible due to its case system. While the standard order is used here for clarity, the sentence could be rearranged as long as the grammatical cases (like -ssa in puistossa) clearly indicate each word’s role in the sentence.

What tense is used in both clauses, and why is this consistency important?

Both clauses are in the present tense. This consistent use of tense indicates that the actions—the speaker staying in the park and the sun shining—are occurring at the same time, which is important for conveying the immediate context of the situation.