Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.

the sun

Breakdown of Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.

• kello kahdeksalta: at eight o'clock
• laskea: to set

Questions & Answers about Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.

What does laskee mean here, and why isn’t it laskevat or lasken?

laskee is the 3rd person singular present form of laskea (“to set” or “to lower”), so it agrees with aurinko (“the sun”).

• laskevat would be 3rd person plural (“they set”),
• lasken would be 1st person singular (“I set”).

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

kahdeksalta is the elative case (stem + -lta). In Finnish time expressions it means “at [that time]”. So kahdeksalta = “at eight o’clock.”

Why is kello used before the time, and can it be omitted?

kello literally means “clock,” but in time phrases it’s like saying “at eight o’clock.” You can omit it in everyday speech and just say kahdeksalta, though including kello sounds slightly more formal or neutral.

How would I say “The sun sets at 8:30”?

Use puoli yhdeksältä, literally “half (to) nine.”
Aurinko laskee puoli yhdeksältä.
You can also add kello: Aurinko laskee kello puoli yhdeksältä.