Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa, mutta opettaja auttaa.

You feel that math is difficult, but the teacher helps.

Breakdown of Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa, mutta opettaja auttaa.

• olla: to be
• mutta: but
• sinä: you
• auttaa: to help
• tuntua: to feel
• että: that
• opettaja: the teacher
• vaikea: difficult
• matematiikka: the math

Questions & Answers about Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa, mutta opettaja auttaa.

Why does the sentence say Sinusta tuntuu instead of Sinä tunnet?

Finnish uses tuntua (to feel, to seem) in an impersonal way to express opinions or inner feelings:

• Sinusta tuntuu, että… = It feels to you that… / You feel that…
• Literally: From you it feels that…

The verb tuntea usually means:

• to feel (physically) – Tunnen kipua = I feel pain.
• to know / be familiar with – Tunnen hänet = I know him/her.

So for I feel that math is difficult (an opinion / impression), Finnish prefers:

• Minusta/Sinusta tuntuu, että…

and not Minä/Sinä tunnen, että… in this meaning.

What case is sinusta, and why is that form used?

Sinusta is the elative case (the “out of / from inside” case) of sinä:

• sinä → sinusta (from you)
• minä → minusta
• hän → hänestä

With verbs of feeling, seeming, and opinion, Finnish often uses this pattern:

• Minusta tuntuu, että… – I feel that…
• Sinusta näyttää, että… – It seems to you that…
• Hänestä vaikuttaa, että… – It appears to him/her that…

So sinusta here means roughly in your opinion / to you, and it’s required by the verb tuntua in this construction.

Who is actually the subject of tuntuu in Sinusta tuntuu, että…?

Grammatically, the subject is the että-clause that follows:

• että matematiikka on vaikeaa is the thing that “feels”.

So structurally it’s like:

• (Että matematiikka on vaikeaa) tuntuu sinusta.
  = That math is difficult feels (to you).

Because the true subject is that whole clause, the verb tuntuu is in 3rd person singular, and sinusta is not a subject but an oblique argument (in elative case) indicating to whom it feels that way.

Why is vaikeaa in the partitive case instead of nominative vaikea?

Vaikeaa is the partitive singular of vaikea (difficult). In sentences like X on Y, Finnish often uses the partitive for the predicative adjective when:

• the subject is a mass/abstract noun (like matematiikka),
• and you’re describing a general, non-limited quality.

So:

• Matematiikka on vaikeaa.
  = Math is (in general) difficult / Math is kind of difficult.

Compare:

• Vesi on kylmää. – Water is cold. (general)
• Tämä vesi on kylmä. – This water is cold. (specific portion, nominative kylmä)

You can hear Matematiikka on vaikea, but it tends to sound more like:

• Math is a difficult (subject).
  (More categorical, sometimes more evaluative.)

Using vaikeaa is the more neutral, typical way to talk about math being difficult in general.

Why is matematiikka in the nominative and not in the partitive (matematiikkaa)?

Here matematiikka is the subject of the verb on:

• matematiikka (subject)
• on (verb)
• vaikeaa (predicative adjective in partitive)

Subjects in Finnish are normally in the nominative case, so matematiikka stays in nominative.

You would use partitive matematiikkaa in different structures, such as existential or quantity expressions:

• On matematiikkaa ja fysiikkaa. – There is math and physics.
• Opiskelen matematiikkaa. – I study math. (object in partitive)

Could I say Sinä tunnet, että matematiikka on vaikeaa instead?

You could say it, but it would sound unusual or wrong in the intended meaning.

• Sinä tunnet, että… would more likely be interpreted as a physical sensation or a strong emotional feeling coming from somewhere concrete, e.g.:
  • Tunnen, että joku koskettaa minua. – I feel that someone is touching me.

For expressing an opinion or impression like You feel / think that math is difficult, the idiomatic Finnish is:

• Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa.

Learners should treat Minusta/Sinusta tuntuu, että… as a fixed, very common pattern.

Could the sentence be rephrased as Matematiikka tuntuu sinusta vaikealta?

Yes, that is a perfectly natural alternative:

• Matematiikka tuntuu sinusta vaikealta, mutta opettaja auttaa.

Here the structure is:

• matematiikka – subject
• tuntuu – verb
• sinusta – “to you” (elative)
• vaikealta – ablative form of vaikea (another pattern with tuntua)

Matematiikka tuntuu sinusta vaikealta and Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa are very close in meaning. The second version focuses a bit more on your feeling; the first more on math as something that feels difficult to you. Both are fine in everyday Finnish.

Why is there a comma before mutta?

In Finnish, when mutta (but) joins two independent clauses, you normally put a comma before it:

• Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa, mutta opettaja auttaa.

Two clauses:

1. Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa.
2. Opettaja auttaa.

Because both are full sentences on their own, you separate them with a comma before mutta.

Does auttaa need an object here? Should it be opettaja auttaa sinua?

The verb auttaa normally takes an object in the partitive:

• Opettaja auttaa sinua. – The teacher helps you.
• Opettaja auttaa oppilaita. – The teacher helps the students.

In the given sentence, the object (sinua) is simply left out because it’s obvious from context: Sinusta tuntuu… already tells us who needs help. Finnish often omits pronouns when the meaning is clear.

So both are correct:

• …mutta opettaja auttaa. (shorter, more natural in context)
• …mutta opettaja auttaa sinua. (explicit, emphasises you specifically)

What exactly does että do in tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa? Could it be left out?

Että is a conjunction meaning that, introducing a content clause:

• Sinusta tuntuu, että matematiikka on vaikeaa.
  = You feel that math is difficult.

The part että matematiikka on vaikeaa is one unit: what it is that “feels” that way.

In this structure, you cannot simply drop että:

• ✗ Sinusta tuntuu, matematiikka on vaikeaa. (incorrect)

So että is required to link tuntuu with the following clause that explains what feels that way.