Breakdown of Yöllä kaupunki on rauhallinen.
olla
to be
rauhallinen
peaceful
kaupunki
the city
yöllä
at night
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Questions & Answers about Yöllä kaupunki on rauhallinen.
Why do we say Yöllä instead of just yö, yön, or yössä?
- yö is the basic noun "night" with no case marking.
- yön is the genitive ("of the night").
- yössä is the inessive ("in the night"), which is rarely used for time expressions.
Finnish uses the adessive case -lla/llä for many time expressions meaning "at or on," so yö + -llä = Yöllä ("at night").
What case is Yöllä, and what does that case express here?
Yöllä is in the adessive case (ending -llä because yö contains a front vowel). The adessive case can indicate location ("on something") or time ("at/on some time"), so here it means "during/at night."
Why is kaupunki in its basic form (nominative), and what role does it play?
Kaupunki is the subject of the sentence, so it appears in the nominative singular (the citation form). In Finnish, the subject is normally in the nominative case.
Why is there no equivalent for English "the" or "a" before kaupunki?
Finnish does not have articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context, word order, or other markers rather than a separate word.
Why do we need the verb on here? Can we drop it?
On is the third-person singular of olla ("to be"). In equational sentences (linking a subject to an adjective or noun), Finnish requires olla. You cannot drop on if you want "The city is peaceful."
How is the adjective rauhallinen formed, and what does the suffix -llinen mean?
- rauha = "peace" (noun)
- -llinen is an adjective-forming suffix meaning "having the quality of."
So rauha + llinen = rauhallinen, "peaceful" (literally "having peace").
Why does rauhallinen have a double l, and how do I pronounce it?
The suffix is -llinen (always with two l’s). When attached, Finnish shows a long consonant ll, which you hold slightly longer than a single l. Pronunciation tip: stress is on the first syllable, and consonant length matters.
Can I change the word order, for example Kaupunki on yöllä rauhallinen? Does it change meaning?
Yes. Finnish allows fairly free word order. Placing yöllä at the end still means "The city is peaceful at night," though small emphasis shifts: fronting Yöllä highlights the time more.
What’s the nuance between rauhallinen and hiljainen when talking about something "quiet" or "calm"?
- Rauhallinen emphasizes peacefulness and a calm atmosphere.
- Hiljainen means "quiet" or "silent" (low noise).
Use rauhallinen for “peaceful” settings, and hiljainen when you mean “quiet” in terms of sound level.