Questions & Answers about Bussi on vieläkin myöhässä.
What does the ending in vieläkin do?
The enclitic -kin adds the idea of “even/also,” so vieläkin means “still, even now.” It often implies surprise, frustration, or that you expected the situation to have changed already. Plain vielä is just “still/yet,” more neutral:
- Bussi on vielä myöhässä. = The bus is still late. (neutral)
- Bussi on vieläkin myöhässä. = The bus is still late, even now. (more emphatic)
What’s the difference between vieläkin, vielä, edelleen, and yhä?
- vielä: still/yet; neutral and very common.
- vieläkin: “still, even now”; adds emphasis or surprise.
- edelleen: “still” in a neutral, often slightly formal or report-like tone; very common in news/announcements.
- yhä: “still,” somewhat formal/literary; can also mean “increasingly” in some contexts (e.g., yhä paremmin = “better and better”). All four can mean “still,” but vielä(kin) is most conversational, edelleen is neutral/formal, yhä is formal/literary.
Why myöhässä and not myöhään?
- myöhässä means “late” in the sense of behind schedule/delayed. It’s used with olla: olla myöhässä = “to be late.”
- myöhään means “late” in the time-of-day sense: “at a late hour.” Examples:
- Bussi on myöhässä. = The bus is delayed/late (relative to schedule).
- Menin nukkumaan myöhään. = I went to bed late (time of day).
What case is myöhässä, and why does it end in -ssä?
Myöhässä is the inessive case (ending -ssa/-ssä), literally “in lateness.” It’s a fixed idiomatic expression with olla: olla myöhässä = “to be late.” Think of it like “to be in a state of lateness.” You’ll see the same pattern in other set phrases, e.g., olla kunnossa (to be in order/okay).
Can I move vieläkin elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. The default is Bussi on vieläkin myöhässä. You can also say:
- Bussi on myöhässä vieläkin. (end-focus on “still”)
- Vieläkin bussi on myöhässä. (fronted for strong emphasis, more marked) The meaning stays “still,” but the emphasis shifts with position.
How do I say “again” instead of “still”?
Use taas (neutral/conversational) or jälleen (more formal) for “again”:
- Bussi on taas myöhässä. = The bus is late again. “Again” (a repeated occurrence) is different from “still” (continuing situation). Don’t use vielä(kin) for “again.”
How do I negate this idea, like “The bus is not late anymore”?
How do I ask, “Is the bus still late?” and answer yes/no?
- Question: Onko bussi vieläkin myöhässä?
- Yes: On. (It is.)
- No: Ei ole. (It isn’t.)
Why is there no word for “the” in Bussi on vieläkin myöhässä?
Finnish has no articles (no “a/an/the”). Bussi can mean “a bus” or “the bus” depending on context. If you need to be specific, you can add se (“that/it”) in everyday speech:
- Se bussi on vieläkin myöhässä. = That bus/The bus is still late.
Is on just the verb “to be”? What’s the basic conjugation?
What’s the difference between olla myöhässä, myöhästyä, and myöhään?
- olla myöhässä = to be late/delayed (state): Bussi on myöhässä.
- myöhästyä = to be late (to arrive late)/to miss (by being late):
- Myöhästyin bussista. = I missed the bus.
- Bussi myöhästyi. = The bus was delayed (it became late).
- myöhään = late (time of day): Olin töissä myöhään. = I was at work late.
Can I just say Bussi on myöhässä without vieläkin?
Yes. Bussi on myöhässä. = “The bus is late.” Adding vielä/vieläkin adds the “still/yet (even now)” nuance.
Are there alternative ways to say “still late” I might hear or see?
Yes:
- Bussi on edelleen myöhässä. (neutral/formal)
- Bussi on yhä myöhässä. (slightly formal/literary) In headlines, the verb may be dropped: Bussi yhä myöhässä. In casual speech, you might hear vieläki (spoken form) for vieläkin.
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- Primary stress is on the first syllable of each word: BUS-si on VIE-lä-kin MYÖ-häs-sä.
- y and ö are front rounded vowels (keep your lips rounded): myö-.
- Double ss in bussi and myöhässä is a long consonant—hold it slightly longer.
- ä is a front vowel (like the a in “cat,” but shorter and tenser).
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