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Questions & Answers about Kattila porisee keittiössä.
Why are there no articles the or a in the sentence?
Finnish has no definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you whether you mean something specific or general. So kattila can mean a pot or the pot depending on context.
What case is keittiössä, and what does the -ssä ending indicate?
This is the inessive case, one of Finnish’s locative cases. The ending -ssä means in or inside, so keittiössä = in the kitchen.
Why does the verb stem porista change to porisee?
Porista is a Type I verb. In the present tense third-person singular, you take the stem (pori-) and add a long vowel ending (-ee). That gives porisee, meaning he/she/it simmers or is simmering.
Why don’t we use a separate verb equivalent to English is for is simmering?
Finnish does not have an auxiliary for continuous aspect. The simple present tense in Finnish covers both simple and ongoing actions. So porisee alone conveys is simmering.
Why is the subject pronoun se (“it”) omitted?
Subject pronouns are optional in Finnish. The verb ending already shows third-person singular, and since kattila is present, adding se would be redundant unless you want special emphasis.
What’s the difference between keittiössä and keittiöllä?
- -ssä/-ssä (inessive) = in something (inside an area)
- -lla/-llä (adessive) = on or at something (on the surface or at a location)
So keittiössä = in the kitchen, while keittiöllä = at the kitchen or on the kitchen.
How would you ask Where is the pot simmering? using this vocabulary?
Use the question word missä (where in) + subject + verb:
Missä kattila porisee? = Where is the pot simmering?