Breakdown of Kalenterissa luki, että tilaus pitäisi noutaa asemalta tiistaina.
lukea
to read
-ssa
in
-lta
from
että
that
asema
the station
tilaus
the order
kalenteri
the calendar
pitää
should
noutaa
to pick up
tiistaina
on Tuesday
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Questions & Answers about Kalenterissa luki, että tilaus pitäisi noutaa asemalta tiistaina.
What does Kalenterissa luki literally mean?
Kalenterissa is the inessive form of kalenteri (“calendar”), meaning “in the calendar,” and luki is the past tense (3rd person singular) of lukea (“to read”). Literally you get “in the calendar it read,” i.e. “the calendar said.”
Why is kalenterissa in the inessive case (-ssa)?
The inessive case (-ssa/-ssä) indicates “being inside” something. Here it shows that the text was inside the calendar: “in the calendar.”
Why is the verb luki in the past tense if the appointment is still valid?
In Finnish it’s common to report what you saw or read at the moment you checked by using the past tense. Luki simply tells us “that’s what it said when I looked.” You could also say kalenterissa lukee to emphasize it’s still written there, but luki focuses on your moment of reading.
What is the function of että in this sentence?
Että is a subordinating conjunction meaning that. It introduces the content of what was written: “that the order should be picked up…”
Why is tilaus in the nominative case here?
In the subordinate clause tilaus (“order”) is the grammatical subject of the verb complex pitäisi noutaa. Subjects in Finnish usually appear in the nominative case.
What does pitäisi mean, and why is it in the conditional mood?
Pitäisi is the conditional form of pitää when it means “must” or “should.” The conditional mood (-isi-) here softens the obligation: “the order should be picked up” or “one ought to pick up the order.” A non-conditional tilaus pitää noutaa would sound more like “the order has to be picked up” in a stronger sense.
Why is noutaa in the basic infinitive form (-da)?
After modal-type verbs like pitää, voida, haluta etc., the next verb stays in the first infinitive (bare -da/dä form). So pitäisi noutaa = “should pick up.”
What does asemalta indicate, and why is the ablative case (-lta) used?
The ablative case (-lta/-ltä) expresses movement away from the surface or location. Asemalta means “from the station” (i.e. pick up the order at/of the station and take it away).
Why is tiistaina marked with the -na ending?
The -na/-nä ending is the essive case used for specifying a point in time, especially days of the week. Tiistaina means “on Tuesday.”