Learn Hardcore Finnish: Kahvila on koulun vastapäätä, ja pysäkki on sen takana. - The café is opposite the school, and the stop is behind it.

Finnish has no articles. Bare nouns like kahvila and koulu can be interpreted as either “a” or “the.” Context decides. In a location statement like this, English usually prefers “the,” but Finnish doesn’t mark that explicitly.

Why is it “koulun vastapäätä” and not just “koulu vastapäätä” or “koulua vastapäätä”?

Many Finnish postpositions (words like “behind, in front of, opposite”) take their complement in the genitive when the complement comes before them. Here, koulun is the genitive of koulu (“of the school”), so koulun vastapäätä literally means “opposite of the school.”

You can also put the adposition first and then use the partitive: vastapäätä koulua. Both are correct:
- Kahvila on koulun vastapäätä.
- Kahvila on vastapäätä koulua.
Don’t mix the orders: “koulua vastapäätä” is nonstandard in this role.

What exactly does vastapäätä mean? Is it the same as “in front of” (edessä)?

No. vastapäätä means “opposite/across from,” typically facing each other with something (like a street) in between. edessä means “in front of” (on the same side, not necessarily across the street).

Kahvila on koulun vastapäätä = The café is across from the school.
Pysäkki on koulun edessä = The stop is in front of the school (on the same side).

What case is “koulun,” and why is it needed?

It’s genitive singular of koulu. Many locative postpositions—like takana (behind), edessä (in front of), vieressä (next to), lähellä (near), and vastapäätä (opposite)—take their complement in the genitive when the complement comes before the postposition:

talon takana, talon edessä, talon vieressä, talon lähellä, talon vastapäätä.

Why is it “sen takana” and not “se takana”?

Postpositions like takana (“behind”) take their complement in the genitive. The genitive of se (“it/that”) is sen. So it must be sen takana = “behind it/that.”

What does “sen” refer to here— the café or the school?

By itself, sen can be ambiguous; it could refer to either previously mentioned noun. Context usually clarifies it. If you want to be explicit, name the noun:

Pysäkki on kahvilan takana. = The stop is behind the café.
Pysäkki on koulun takana. = The stop is behind the school.

Why is there a comma before “ja” (“and”)?

In Finnish, a comma is placed between independent clauses even when they’re linked by ja. Here we have two independent clauses with different subjects:

Kahvila on koulun vastapäätä, (clause 1)
ja pysäkki on sen takana. (clause 2) If the subject were shared and not repeated, the comma often disappears: Menin kauppaan ja ostin maitoa.

Could I drop the second “on”?

Yes. It’s natural to omit a repeated copula in coordinated clauses:

Kahvila on koulun vastapäätä, ja pysäkki (on) sen takana. Both versions are fine; including “on” is a bit more explicit.

What’s the difference between “takana,” “taakse,” and “takaa”?

They express location vs. direction:

takana = behind (static, “where?”)
taakse = to behind (movement to, “to where?”)
takaa = from behind (movement from, “from where?”) Examples: Auto on talon takana. Auto menee talon taakse. Auto tulee talon takaa.

Could I say “Koulun vastapäätä on kahvila, ja sen takana on pysäkki” instead?

Yes. Fronting the place phrase is common in Finnish:

Koulun vastapäätä on kahvila, ja sen takana on pysäkki. This is equally natural and sometimes preferred in descriptions of where things are.

Does “pysäkki” always mean a bus stop?

Typically pysäkki refers to a bus or tram stop. For the metro or train you’d usually say asema (“station”): metroasema, rautatieasema. You can specify bus stop as bussipysäkki or linja-autopysäkki.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

pysäkki: the y is a rounded front vowel (like German ü). kk is a long consonant—hold it slightly longer.
vastapäätä: stress the first syllable; ää is a long vowel (hold the vowel).
kahvila: pronounce the hv as two separate sounds; stress on the first syllable.