Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen.

Unfortunately we failed yesterday.

Breakdown of Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen.

• me: we
• eilen: yesterday
• valitettavasti: unfortunately
• epäonnistua: to fail

Questions & Answers about Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen.

What does each word do in the sentence?

• Valitettavasti: a sentence adverb meaning “unfortunately.” It comments on the whole sentence.
• epäonnistuimme: the verb “we failed” (past tense, 1st person plural) from epäonnistua “to fail.”
• eilen: an adverb meaning “yesterday.”

Why is there no subject pronoun like “me” (“we”)?

Finnish verbs carry person/number in their endings, so the subject is understood. epäonnistuimme already means “we failed.” You can add me for emphasis or contrast: Valitettavasti me epäonnistuimme eilen (implying others didn’t).

How is the verb form epäonnistuimme built?

• Dictionary form: epäonnistua (to fail).
• Stem: epäonnistu-.
• Past tense marker: -i-.
• 1st person plural ending: -mme. Put together: epäonnistu-i-mme → epäonnistuimme.

Why is the verb so long? What does the prefix epä- mean?

epä- is a negative/privative prefix often forming the opposite of adjectives and nouns (e.g., reilu → epäreilu). Here it attaches to onnistua (“to succeed”) to make epäonnistua (“to fail”). Note: you can’t freely add epä- to any verb; this pair is lexicalized.

What’s the difference between epäonnistua and (ei) onnistua?

• epäonnistua = “to fail” (a direct statement of failure): Epäonnistuimme eilen.
• ei onnistua = “to not succeed” (often a bit softer/politer): Emme onnistuneet eilen. Both can describe the same outcome, but epäonnistua can feel stronger/more categorical.

How do I form the negative of this sentence?

• “We didn’t fail yesterday”: Emme epäonnistuneet eilen. (negative verb emme
  • past participle epäonnistuneet)
• A common alternative with nearly the same meaning (softer): Valitettavasti emme onnistuneet eilen.

Can I move the words around? Where can valitettavasti go?

Yes, Finnish word order is flexible for emphasis:

• Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen. (neutral)
• Epäonnistuimme valitettavasti eilen.
• Eilen valitettavasti epäonnistuimme.
• Valitettavasti me epäonnistuimme eilen. (emphasis on “we”) All are acceptable; the first is the most common neutral order.

Should there be a comma after valitettavasti?

No. In Finnish, sentence adverbs like Valitettavasti are not followed by a comma in this position: Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen. A comma would be nonstandard here.

Does eilen have to be at the end?

No. Time adverbs can appear at the start, middle, or end depending on emphasis:

• Eilen epäonnistuimme valitettavasti.
• Valitettavasti epäonnistuimme eilen.
• Epäonnistuimme eilen valitettavasti.

How do I say what we failed at (failed in the exam, project, etc.)?

Use epäonnistua + inessive case (-ssa/-ssä) for the context:

• Epäonnistuimme kokeessa. (We failed in the exam.)
• Epäonnistuimme projektissa. (We failed in the project.)
• Hän epäonnistui yrityksessä. (He/She failed in the attempt.)

How do I say “we failed to do X”?

Finnish usually prefers the “didn’t succeed” construction:

• Emme onnistuneet saamaan lippuja. (We failed to get tickets.) Saying epäonnistua tekemään X is not standard; use ei onnistua + -maan/-mään or rephrase (e.g., Emme saaneet X:ää tehtyä).

Why does the word have both ä and a? Doesn’t Finnish have vowel harmony?

Finnish has vowel harmony in suffixes, but compounds/prefixes can break it. epä- contains a front vowel ä, while onnistua belongs to the back-vowel set with a. In epäonnistua, the prefix keeps ä, and the base keeps a—this is normal across morphological boundaries.

Pronunciation tips for the sentence?

• Stress the first syllable of each word: VA-li-tet-ta-vasti e-pä-ON-nis-TUI-mme EI-len.
• Double consonants (tt, nn, mm) are long; hold them clearly.
• ä is a front vowel (like the a in “cat,” but tenser/cleaner).
• In -tui-, pronounce the diphthong clearly: [tui].

Is epäonnistua transitive? Can it take a direct object?

No, epäonnistua is intransitive. You don’t use a direct object with it. Use an adverbial (often inessive) to show context: epäonnistua testissä/projektissa. If you need a direct object, rephrase with another verb (e.g., Emme saaneet projektia valmiiksi).

What’s a common spoken-Finnish way to say this?

In colloquial speech, people often use the passive for 1st person plural:

• Me epäonnistuttiin eilen. Without me, epäonnistuttiin is impersonal (“there was failure”), but in everyday talk it often means “we.” In standard written Finnish, stick to epäonnistuimme.

Are there alternatives to valitettavasti?

Yes, near-synonyms include:

• Ikävä kyllä (quite common, idiomatic)
• Harmi kyllä (colloquial, “unfortunately/what a pity”) Register-wise, valitettavasti is neutral to slightly formal; ikävä kyllä is very common in speech and writing.

How would the sentence look in the singular or with other persons?

• I: Valitettavasti epäonnistuin eilen.
• You (sg.): Valitettavasti epäonnistuit eilen.
• He/She: Valitettavasti hän epäonnistui eilen.
• They: Valitettavasti he epäonnistuivat eilen.

Can I swap to the positive counterpart?

Yes. The opposite verb is onnistua (“to succeed”):

• Onnistuimme eilen. (We succeeded yesterday.) You can also combine with valitettavasti in the negative: Valitettavasti emme onnistuneet eilen.