Vieras juo kahvia keittiössä.

The guest drinks coffee in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Vieras juo kahvia keittiössä.

• kahvi: the coffee
• juoda: to drink
• -ssa: in
• keittiö: the kitchen
• vieras: the guest

Questions & Answers about Vieras juo kahvia keittiössä.

What is the basic structure of the sentence “Vieras juo kahvia keittiössä”?

The sentence follows a Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial order. Here, vieras (guest) is the subject, juo (drinks) is the verb, kahvia (coffee, in the partitive case) is the object, and keittiössä (in the kitchen) functions as an adverbial of place. Although Finnish word order is flexible, this arrangement is typical in simple declarative sentences.

Why is the word kahvia in the partitive form rather than the nominative form?

In Finnish, the partitive case is often used when referring to an indefinite quantity or an incomplete action. Here, kahvia implies that the guest is drinking some coffee rather than all of it. This use of the partitive is common with verbs expressing consumption, as it emphasizes that only a portion or an unspecified amount of coffee is being drunk.

What is the function and formation of the word keittiössä in this sentence?

Keittiössä means “in the kitchen.” It is formed by taking the noun keittiö (kitchen) and adding the inessive case suffix -ssä, which indicates location. This locative case marks where the action occurs, clearly showing that the drinking happens in the kitchen.

How does the verb juo agree with the subject vieras in this sentence?

The verb juo is conjugated in the third person singular form of the verb juoda (to drink), and it agrees with vieras, a singular noun meaning “guest.” Finnish verb conjugation aligns with the subject’s person and number, and since the language does not specify gender in verb forms, juo appropriately matches the singular subject.

Can the word order in a sentence like “Vieras juo kahvia keittiössä” be changed, and what are the implications of such flexibility?

Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible due to its extensive use of case markings that clearly indicate each word’s grammatical role. While the standard order is Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial, you can rearrange the elements for emphasis or stylistic reasons without causing confusion—for instance, placing the adverbial first to highlight the location.

Why is there no article (such as “the” or “a”) before vieras in the sentence?

Finnish does not have articles. The noun vieras stands alone and can mean either “a guest” or “the guest” depending on the context. This absence of articles is a fundamental difference between Finnish and English, and learners must rely on context and word inflection to convey definiteness.