Breakdown of Sunnuntaisin perhe kokoontuu olohuoneessa.
-ssa
in
olohuone
the living room
perhe
the family
sunnuntaisin
on Sundays
kokoontua
to gather
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Questions & Answers about Sunnuntaisin perhe kokoontuu olohuoneessa.
What does Sunnuntaisin mean, and why does it end with -sin?
Sunnuntaisin means on Sundays. The suffix -sin is an adverbial plural ending used to form recurring time expressions from weekdays or other time words. For example, maanantaisin means on Mondays, tiistaisin means on Tuesdays, and so on.
Why is perhe in the singular form, and why is the verb kokoontuu also singular?
In Finnish perhe is a singular collective noun even though it refers to multiple people. The verb agrees with the grammatical number of the subject, so you use the third person singular kokoontuu. Saying perheet kokoontuvat would mean families gather, referring to several distinct families.
Why is there no preposition before olohuoneessa?
Finnish expresses location with cases instead of prepositions. The ending -ssa/ssä is the inessive case, meaning in. So olohuone (living room) + -essa = olohuoneessa (in the living room).
How does the verb kokoontua conjugate in the present tense?
Kokoontua (to gather) follows the type 1 verb pattern. Present tense forms are:
minä kokoontun, sinä kokoontut, hän kokoontuu, me kokoontumme, te kokoontutte, he kokoontuvat.
Is the word order in Sunnuntaisin perhe kokoontuu olohuoneessa fixed?
Finnish word order is relatively flexible, but starting with the time adverbial Sunnuntaisin (time – subject – verb – place) is common for stating routines. You could also say Perhe kokoontuu sunnuntaisin olohuoneessa or Perhe sunnuntaisin kokoontuu olohuoneessa, each highlighting a different element.
What nuance does kokoontua carry compared to other verbs like tavata?
Both can translate as meet, but kokoontua implies to gather together, often in a group at a specified place. Tavata is more general to meet or to see someone, usually in one-on-one or arranged contexts.
How can I form similar expressions for other recurring times, like weekdays or seasons?
For weekdays use arkisin for on weekdays or arkipäivisin for on working days. For seasons you can use kesäisin meaning during summers (recurring). You can also use case endings for specific time spans, e.g. kesällä (in the summer), päivittäin (daily).