Kello kahdeksalta oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan.

At eight o’clock the pupils gather in the canteen.

Breakdown of Kello kahdeksalta oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan.

• oppilas: the pupil
• ruokala: the canteen
• kello kahdeksalta: at eight o'clock
• kokoontua: to gather

Questions & Answers about Kello kahdeksalta oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan.

What case is kahdeksalta and why do we use it here?

kahdeksalta is in the ablative case (suffix -lta), used for time expressions meaning “at [a given clock time].” It indicates that the action happens exactly at eight o’clock.

What is the difference between kello kahdeksan and kello kahdeksalta?

kello kahdeksan is a nominative noun phrase meaning “eight o’clock” (a point in time). To say “at eight o’clock” in Finnish, you normally use the ablative kahdeksalta, often with kello in front: kello kahdeksalta.

Can we omit kello and just say kahdeksalta?

Yes. Since kahdeksalta already marks the time, kello (“clock”) is optional.
Example: Kahdeksalta oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan also means “At eight o’clock the students gather in the dining hall.”

What case is ruokalaan and why?

ruokalaan is the illative case (suffix -an), indicating movement into something. Here it means “into the dining hall.”

What form is the verb kokoontuvat, and how is it constructed?

It’s the 3rd person plural present tense of kokoontua (“to gather”). The verb stem kokoontu- plus the plural present ending -vat gives kokoontuvat (“they gather”).

Why is oppilaat in the nominative plural?

oppilaat (“students”) is the subject of the sentence, so it takes the nominative case. It’s plural because there is more than one student.

How can I ask “At what time do the students gather in the dining hall?”

You can say:
Moneltako oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan?
or
Mihin aikaan oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan?
Both mean “What time do the students gather into the dining hall?”

Can the word order in this sentence change?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible. For example:
Oppilaat kokoontuvat ruokalaan kello kahdeksalta.
Ruokalaan oppilaat kokoontuvat kello kahdeksalta.
Kello kahdeksalta ruokalaan oppilaat kokoontuvat.
All mean the same thing; shifting elements just changes the emphasis.

How would you make this sentence negative?

Use the 3rd person plural negative eivät plus the verb’s connegative form kokoontu:
Oppilaat eivät kokoontu ruokalaan kello kahdeksalta.
This means “The students do not gather in the dining hall at eight o’clock.”

Why doesn’t Finnish use prepositions like “at” or “to” in this sentence?

Finnish expresses relationships through case endings instead of separate prepositions:
– Ablative (-lta) marks “at [a time].”
– Illative (-an) marks movement “into” somewhere.
So instead of English “at” or “to,” Finnish adds these case suffixes to nouns.