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Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.

Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.
The grandma sitting on the balcony listens to us while smiling.

Breakdown of Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.

-lla
on
kuunnella
to listen
parveke
the balcony
hymyillä
to smile
meitä
us
mummo
the grandma
istuva
sitting
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Questions & Answers about Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.

What is the basic structure of this sentence? Who is doing what to whom?

The core structure is:

  • Subject: parvekkeella istuva mummo – the granny who is sitting on the balcony
  • Verb: kuuntelee – listens
  • Object: meitä – us (in the partitive case)
  • Adverbial of manner: hymyillen – smiling / while smiling

So, literally: “The granny sitting on the balcony listens to us, smiling.”

Why is it parvekkeella and not just parveke?

Parveke means balcony in the basic (nominative) form.

Parvekkeella has the -lla/-llä ending, which is the adessive case, usually meaning:

  • on a surface
  • at a place
  • by / near something

Here, parvekkeella means “on the balcony”.

Breakdown:

  • parveke (balcony)
  • stem: parvekke- (you see consonant gradation: k → kk)
    • -lla = parvekkeella (on the balcony)

So parvekkeella istuva mummo = the granny who is sitting on the balcony.

What exactly is istuva? Is it a verb or an adjective, and how is it related to istua?

Istua is the verb to sit.

Istuva is its present active participle (often called the -va participle). It functions like an adjective formed from a verb, describing a noun:

  • istua → istuva (sitting)
  • nauraa (to laugh) → naurava (laughing)
  • laulaa (to sing) → laulava (singing)

In parvekkeella istuva mummo:

  • istuva modifies mummo
  • so it means “the granny who is sitting (there)” or “the sitting granny”

It’s similar to using -ing in English to modify a noun:

  • the granny *sitting on the balcony*

So istuva is grammatically a participle (adjectival form of a verb), not a finite verb. The main (finite) verb of the sentence is kuuntelee.

Could I say parvekkeella istuu mummo instead of parvekkeella istuva mummo? What’s the difference?

These mean different things and have different structures:

  1. Parvekkeella istuu mummo.

    • Literally: On the balcony, a granny is sitting.
    • istuu is the main finite verb.
    • Focus is more on the location and existence: there is a granny sitting on the balcony.

  2. Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä.

    • Literally: The granny who is sitting on the balcony listens to us.
    • istuva is a participle modifying mummo.
    • The whole phrase parvekkeella istuva mummo is the subject.
    • Focus is on which granny is doing the listening (the one sitting on the balcony).

So you can’t just swap istuva for istuu here; that would break the structure. Istuva belongs inside the noun phrase; istuu would start or be the main verb of a clause.

Could I say this sentence with a joka clause instead of istuva? Are they equivalent?

Yes, you can use a joka relative clause, which often feels more natural for beginners:

  • Mummo, joka istuu parvekkeella, kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.
    – The granny who is sitting on the balcony listens to us, smiling.

The meanings are practically the same:

  • parvekkeella istuva mummo
  • mummo, joka istuu parvekkeella

The difference is mainly style:

  • -va participles like istuva are more compact and very common in written Finnish.
  • joka clauses are a bit clearer for learners and also common in speech.

Both are fully correct.

What does meitä mean, and why is it meitä and not meidät?

Me is we in the basic form (nominative). Its object forms are:

  • meidät – “us” as a whole, often a total / complete object
  • meitä – “us” in the partitive case

Kuunnella (to listen to) normally takes a partitive object, so you use meitä:

  • mummo kuuntelee meitä – the granny listens to us

This is similar to other verbs that require the partitive:

  • rakastaa meitä – to love us
  • odottaa meitä – to wait for us

Meidät would be wrong with kuunnella here. You can’t say kuuntelee meidät. The verb simply governs the partitive.

Why is the verb kuuntelee used here and not kuulee? Aren’t both “to hear”?

They’re related but not the same:

  • kuunnella (here: kuuntelee) = to listen (to)
    • active, intentional: you pay attention on purpose
    • takes a partitive object (e.g. meitä)
  • kuulla (here: kuulee) = to hear
    • more passive: you notice sounds, not necessarily on purpose
    • can take different object cases depending on meaning

So:

  • mummo kuuntelee meitä – the granny is listening to us (on purpose)
  • mummo kuulee meidät – the granny hears us (she notices our voices)

In the original sentence, the idea is that she is listening (engaging with what we say), so kuuntelee is correct.

What form is hymyillen, and what does it add to the meaning?

Hymyillen comes from the verb hymyillä (to smile).

  • It is the 2nd infinitive, instructive case (often just called the -en form for manner).
  • It expresses how / in what manner the action is done.

So:

  • kuuntelee meitä hymyillen = listens to us *smiling, listens to us with a smile*

It’s very similar to English “(while) smiling” or “by smiling” acting as an adverbial.

Examples of the same pattern:

  • kävelee nauraen – walks, laughing
  • katsoo minua hymyillen – looks at me, smiling
Could I use hymyilevä instead of hymyillen? What’s the difference?

They are different forms and are used differently:

  1. hymyilevä

    • present active participle (like istuva)
    • adjectival, modifies a noun
    • e.g. hymyilevä mummo – a smiling granny

  2. hymyillen

    • 2nd infinitive instructive
    • adverbial, modifies a verb (manner of doing something)
    • kuuntelee hymyillen – listens, smiling

You cannot say kuuntelee meitä hymyilevä; it must be hymyillen if you are describing how she listens.

To use hymyilevä, you would rewrite the sentence:

  • Parvekkeella istuva, hymyilevä mummo kuuntelee meitä.
    – The granny who is sitting on the balcony, smiling, listens to us.

Now both istuva and hymyilevä are adjectives modifying mummo.

Can hymyillen be placed somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes, it’s quite flexible, as long as the meaning stays clear. Some options:

  • Parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.
  • Parvekkeella istuva mummo hymyillen kuuntelee meitä.
  • Hymyillen parvekkeella istuva mummo kuuntelee meitä. (more literary / stylized)

Normally, keeping it near the main verb it modifies (kuuntelee) is the clearest:

  • … kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.

That’s the most natural everyday order.

Is mummo neutral, formal, or informal? Could I also say isoäiti?

Mummo is:

  • common, everyday, slightly informal
  • usually means “grandma / granny”
  • can also mean an old lady in some contexts (neutral or slightly affectionate)

Isoäiti is:

  • more formal / neutral
  • closer to “grandmother”

You could say:

  • Parvekkeella istuva isoäiti kuuntelee meitä hymyillen.

This sounds a bit more formal or neutral than mummo. In many families, people naturally use mummo, mummi, mummu, etc. as affectionate terms.

Does istuva agree with mummo in any way, like adjectives do?

Yes. The -va participle behaves like an adjective and agrees with the noun in case and number:

  • istuva mummo – a granny who is sitting (nominative singular)
  • istuvalle mummolle – to the granny who is sitting (allative singular)
  • istuvat mummot – the grannies who are sitting (nominative plural)
  • istuvia mummoja – grannies who are sitting (partitive plural)

In the sentence Parvekkeella istuva mummo, both are in nominative singular because this is the subject of the sentence.