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Questions & Answers about Kansio on pöydällä.
What does the ending in pöydällä mean?
The ending -llä/-llä is the adessive case. It most often means “on” or “at/by” a surface or location. So pöydällä = “on the table.”
Why is it pöydällä and not something like pöytälla?
Two things happen:
- Consonant gradation: in many forms, t becomes d. Base word pöytä → stem pöydä-.
- Then you add the adessive ending: pöydä + llä → pöydällä.
Why is it -llä and not -lla?
Vowel harmony. Because pöytä has front vowels (ö, ä, y), you use the front-vowel version -llä (not -lla).
What’s the difference between Kansio on pöydällä and Pöydällä on kansio?
- Kansio on pöydällä states where the folder is (topic = the folder).
- Pöydällä on kansio is an existential sentence: “There is a folder on the table,” introducing a new/indefinite item.
Should I ever use pöydän päällä instead of pöydällä?
Use pöydän päällä when you want to emphasize “on top of the table” explicitly. Pöydällä usually already means “on (the surface of) the table,” so both are often fine; pöydän päällä is just more explicit.
How do I say “onto the table” and “off the table”?
- Onto: pöydälle (allative, -lle).
- Off/from the surface: pöydältä (ablative, -lta/-ltä).
- On (static): pöydällä (adessive, -lla/-llä).
How do I make the sentence negative?
- As a simple statement: Kansio ei ole pöydällä. (“The folder is not on the table.”)
- As an existential: Pöydällä ei ole kansiota. Note the partitive kansiota after negation in the existential construction.
How do I say it in the plural?
- Several folders on one table: Kansiot ovat pöydällä.
- Several folders on several tables: Kansiot ovat pöydillä. Remember plural verb agreement: ovat (not on).
Does Finnish mark definiteness like “the/a folder”?
No articles in Finnish. Kansio can be “a folder” or “the folder” depending on context. If you need to be explicit, use demonstratives:
- tämä kansio = this folder
- se kansio = that/the folder
- yksi kansio = one/a single folder
What exactly is on here?
On is the 3rd person singular of the verb olla (“to be”): “is.” It’s not the English preposition “on.”
Pronunciation tips for Kansio on pöydällä?
- Stress the first syllable of each word: KAN-sio on PÖY-däl-lä.
- öy is a front-vowel diphthong; keep it rounded.
- ä is a front “a” (not like English “a”).
- ll is a long consonant; hold it slightly longer.
- In kansio, the i + o are separate vowels: kan-si-o (three syllables).
Which case is kansio in?
Nominative singular (the basic dictionary form), because it’s the subject in this non-existential statement. In existential negatives it would appear in the partitive: Pöydällä ei ole kansiota.
How do I say “The folder is on my table”?
Standard: Kansio on pöydälläni. (possessive suffix -ni)
You can also say: Kansio on minun pöydälläni.
Colloquial speech sometimes drops the suffix, but the standard written form uses it.
Does pöydällä ever mean “at the table” (as in sitting/eating)?
For people “at the table,” Finns usually say pöydän ääressä (“by/at the table”) or sometimes pöydässä. Pöydällä is typically “on the table” (on the surface), which is fine for objects like a folder, not people.