Otan eväät mukaan, kun lähden pitkälle retkelle.

when

Breakdown of Otan eväät mukaan, kun lähden pitkälle retkelle.

• pitkä: long
• ottaa mukaan: to take along
• lähteä: to go
• retki: the trip

Questions & Answers about Otan eväät mukaan, kun lähden pitkälle retkelle.

What is the function of mukaan in the sentence, and why is it placed after eväät?

In the main clause Otan eväät mukaan, mukaan is an adverb that means “with [me]” or “along”. It indicates that the provisions (eväät) are taken together with the speaker. The placement after the object is typical in Finnish, where such adverbs or postpositions follow the noun they modify, clarifying the accompanying action.

How does the subordinate clause kun lähden pitkälle retkelle function grammatically in the sentence?

The clause kun lähden pitkälle retkelle is an adverbial subordinate clause introduced by kun, meaning “when”. It specifies the time or condition under which the main action happens—namely, that the speaker takes the provisions when setting off on a long trip. Despite the subject being omitted, the verb form makes it clear who is performing the action.

Why is the subject omitted in the clause lähden and how does the verb form indicate who is acting?

In Finnish, it is common to drop the subject pronoun when the verb conjugation makes it obvious. The form lähden is conjugated in the first person singular, so it implicitly tells us that “I” am the one leaving. This omission avoids redundancy and is a natural aspect of Finnish sentence structure.

What role does the ending -lle play in the word retkelle, and what does it indicate?

The ending -lle in retkelle is the allative case, which expresses movement toward or direction. It shows that the action of “leaving” is directed toward going “on a trip” (retki). Essentially, it marks retki as the destination or endpoint of the action.

How is the adjective pitkä modified into pitkälle, and why is this modification necessary?

The adjective pitkä (“long”) is inflected as pitkälle to agree with the case required by the directional context of the sentence. By taking the -lle ending, it modifies retkelle to indicate that the trip is long. In Finnish, adjectives must often be inflected to match the grammatical structure of the noun phrases they describe.

Why is there a comma before kun, and how are commas used to separate clauses in Finnish?

The comma before kun separates the main clause from the subordinate clause. In Finnish, commas are often used to mark the boundary between an independent clause and a subordinate adverbial clause. Here, it helps clarify that the condition “when I set off on a long trip” is additional information modifying the main action of taking provisions.