Älä myöhästy bussista.

Don't miss the bus.

Breakdown of Älä myöhästy bussista.

• -sta: from
• bussi: the bus
• älä: don't
• myöhästyä: to miss

Questions & Answers about Älä myöhästy bussista.

What does Älä mean, and when do I use it instead of ei?

Älä is the negative imperative (a prohibition) for the 2nd person singular: it means don’t. You use it when telling one person not to do something.

• Example: Älä juokse. = Don’t run. By contrast, ei is the normal negative auxiliary used in statements:
• En myöhästy. = I’m not late. (statement, not a command)

Why is the verb form myöhästy, not myöhästyä or myöhästyt?

In a negative command, you use Älä + the verb’s connegative form (the bare stem). For this verb, that’s myöhästy.

• myöhästyä = the infinitive (to be late)
• myöhästyt = present tense 2nd-person singular (you are late)
• Älä myöhästy = Don’t be late / Don’t miss

What does myöhästyä mean exactly?

myöhästyä means “to be late (for something)” and, with vehicles like buses, trains, flights, it means “to miss” them. It’s intransitive (there’s no direct object), and the thing you’re late for is expressed in a specific case (see the next answer).

Why is it bussista? What case is that, and why is it used here?

bussista is the singular elative case (ending -sta/-stä), literally “from (out of) the bus.” With myöhästyä, Finnish uses the elative to mark what you’re late for or what you miss—literally “to be late from X.”

• myöhästyä junasta = miss the train
• myöhästyä lennolta = miss the flight
• myöhästyä kokouksesta / tapaamisesta = be late for the meeting/appointment

Could I say bussiin, bussin, or bussia instead of bussista?

Not with myöhästyä. That verb takes the elative (-sta/-stä):

• bussiin (into/to the bus) is used with verbs of movement toward/onto something, e.g. ehtiä bussiin (to make/catch the bus), nousta bussiin (to get on the bus).
• bussin/bussia would be used with a transitive verb like missata (colloquial “to miss”):
  • Positive: Missasin bussin.
  • Negative: Älä missaa bussia. (negative ⇒ partitive object)

Is there a direct object in this sentence?

No. myöhästyä is intransitive, so bussista is not an object but a case-marked complement governed by the verb (elative).

How do I say this to more than one person (or politely to one person)?

Use the plural negative imperative:

• Älkää myöhästykö bussista. = Don’t (you all) miss the bus. Explanation:
• älkää is the 2nd-person plural negative imperative.
• The verb takes the special imperative/jussive form myöhästykö in the negative plural.

Can I include the subject pronoun sinä?

Finnish usually drops the subject pronoun. You can add it for emphasis/contrast:

• Älä sinä myöhästy bussista. = You, don’t miss the bus. (implies “others might, but you shouldn’t”) Without emphasis, just Älä myöhästy bussista. is most natural.

Are there other natural ways to say “Don’t miss the bus”?

Yes, depending on tone and nuance:

• Neutral/idiomatic: Älä myöhästy bussista. (standard)
• Colloquial: Älä missaa bussia. (uses loan verb missata, object in partitive because of negation)
• “Don’t get left behind”: Älä jää kyydistä. (kyyti = ride; common idiom) Notes:
• Älä jää bussista is often understood as “don’t get off the bus” (especially if you add pois), so it’s ambiguous; prefer kyydistä for “miss the ride.”

How do I say “I missed the bus”?

Several idiomatic options:

• Myöhästyin bussista. (I was late from the bus → I missed the bus.)
• En ehtinyt bussiin. (I didn’t make it onto the bus.)
• Colloquial: Missasin bussin. (positive ⇒ total object bussin; negative would use partitive: En missannut bussia.)

What’s the literal translation of Älä myöhästy bussista?

Literally: Don’t be late from the bus. English doesn’t say it this way, but this mirrors the Finnish elative -sta/-stä governed by myöhästyä.

How about “Don’t be late” as a general warning?

Use Älä ole myöhässä. (Don’t be late.) That’s general and doesn’t mention the bus.

• olla myöhässä = “to be late” (state), while myöhästyä = “to be late / to arrive late / to miss” (event).

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• Ä like the “a” in “cat,” but a bit more open.
• ö like the vowel in English “her,” but with rounded lips.
• y like the French u (tu) or German ü (über) — a high front rounded vowel.
• Double ss in bussista is a long consonant; hold it slightly longer.
• Primary stress is always on the first syllable: Ä-lä | MYÖ-häs-ty | BUS-sis-ta.

Why aren’t there articles (a/the) in Finnish here?

Finnish has no articles. bussista can mean “the bus” or “a bus” depending on context. Specificity is inferred from context, not from a word like “the.”

Can the word order change?

Yes, for focus/emphasis:

• Neutral: Älä myöhästy bussista.
• Emphasis on the bus: Älä bussista myöhästy. or Bussista älä myöhästy. The basic meaning stays, but fronting bussista highlights “this bus in particular.”