Learn Hardcore Finnish: Astiat odottavat pöydällä, ja tytär pesee ne päivittäin. - The dishes are waiting on the table, and the daughter washes them daily.

In Finnish, a comma is placed between two independent clauses when the subjects are different. Here the subjects are Astiat and tytär, so the comma is correct: Astiat odottavat…, ja tytär pesee…. If the subject were the same and not repeated, you would normally omit the comma: Tytär pesee ja kuivaa astiat.

Why is it pöydällä and not pöydässä or pöydälle?

pöydällä (adessive -lla/-llä) = on the table (on a surface).
pöydässä (inessive -ssa/-ssä) = in the table (inside; usually wrong here).
pöydälle (allative -lle) = onto the table (movement to the top). You can also say pöydän päällä to emphasize “on top of the table.”

Does Astiat mean “the dishes” even though Finnish has no articles?

Yes. Finnish uses context and case/word order to convey definiteness. Astiat (nominative plural) at the start implies a known/specific set. For an indefinite “some dishes,” you’d typically use the partitive and existential word order: Pöydällä odottaa astioita (“there are some dishes waiting on the table”).

Why is the object pronoun ne and not niitä?

ne = total object (accusative plural for pronouns): she washes all of them (each time).
niitä = partitive plural: she washes some of them/ an unspecified amount. So tytär pesee ne signals completeness; tytär pesee niitä päivittäin means she habitually washes some (not necessarily all).

Can I drop ne and just say …ja tytär pesee päivittäin?

Grammatically yes, but it becomes vague (“she washes daily,” what?). If the context already makes the object crystal clear, you can omit it. Otherwise keep ne or repeat astiat.

Is pesee the present tense? How does pestä conjugate?

Yes, pesee is 3rd person singular present. Key forms:

Present: pesen, peset, pesee, pesemme, pesette, pesevät
Past: pesin, pesit, pesi, pesimme, pesitte, pesivät
Perfect: on pessyt (sg.), ovat pesseet (pl.)

Is odottavat normal with inanimate subjects?

Yes. odottaa can be used with inanimate subjects: Astiat odottavat (“the dishes are waiting/await”). A more “ongoing” feel is possible with the -MA form: Astiat ovat pöydällä odottamassa.

What’s the difference between päivittäin and joka päivä?

Both mean “every day.” päivittäin is a frequency adverb and can sound slightly more general or formal; joka päivä is a very common everyday expression. Either fits here.

Why tytär and not tyttö? How do I say “my daughter”?

tytär = daughter (family relation)
tyttö = girl “My daughter” is tyttäreni (with a possessive suffix), optionally with a pronoun: minun tyttäreni (the pronoun is usually omitted in neutral style).

Could I use tiskata instead of pestä?

Yes. tiskata specifically means “to do the dishes,” and it’s very natural here: Tytär tiskaa ne päivittäin or simply Tytär tiskaa päivittäin (object understood from context).

Can the word order change?

Yes; Finnish allows flexible word order for emphasis:

Neutral: Astiat odottavat pöydällä, ja tytär pesee ne päivittäin.
Location focus: Pöydällä astiat odottavat, ja tytär pesee ne päivittäin. Starting with Pöydällä highlights the location; moving elements around can shift emphasis but keep it clear and natural.

Why ne and not he?

ne refers to things/animals; he refers to people. Since astiat are things, ne is correct. (Colloquially, some speakers use ne for people too, but standard Finnish distinguishes he = people, ne = non-people.)

What does Astioita odottaa pöydällä mean?

It’s an existential construction: “There are (some) dishes waiting on the table.” The partitive astioita signals an indefinite amount. Compare the definite feel of Astiat odottavat pöydällä.

Where can I place päivittäin?

Common, natural spots:

At the end: Tytär pesee ne päivittäin (neutral).
Sentence-initial for emphasis: Päivittäin tytär pesee ne (focus on frequency). You can also say Tytär pesee ne joka päivä with the same meaning.

How do I put the sentence in the past?

Astiat odottivat pöydällä, ja tytär pesi ne päivittäin/joka päivä.

Do I have to repeat the subject after ja?

Yes here, because the subjects are different. Without tytär, …ja pesee ne… would be unclear or ungrammatical. If the subject stayed the same, repeating it would be unnecessary: Tytär pesee astiat ja kuivaa ne.

Is astiat the same as tiskit?

Not exactly:

astiat = dishes/tableware in general (neutral).
tiskit = the dishes that need washing (colloquial; “dirty dishes”). So you can say: Tiskit odottavat pöydällä, ja tytär tiskaa ne päivittäin.

Could I say pöydän luona instead of pöydällä?

pöydän luona means “by/near the table,” not “on the table.” Use pöydällä for “on,” pöydän päällä for “on top of (explicit),” and pöydän luona for “by/next to.”