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Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.

Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.
The sun sets at eight o'clock.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Finnish
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Breakdown of Aurinko laskee kello kahdeksalta.

aurinko
the sun
kello kahdeksalta
at eight o'clock
laskea
to set
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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.

Can I use the 24-hour clock and say “at 20:00”?
Yes. You’d typically say kello 20 or abbreviate klo 20 to mean “at 20:00.” With the numeric form you don’t add the -lta ending.
Why is there no word for “the” before aurinko?
Finnish has no articles (“a/the”). Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite. Here aurinko naturally means “the sun.”
Can I change the word order, for example Kahdeksalta aurinko laskee?

Absolutely. Finnish word order is flexible. Fronting kahdeksalta simply emphasizes the time:
Kahdeksalta aurinko laskee.