Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.

The refrigerator buzzes quietly in the evening.

Breakdown of Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.

• illalla: in the evening
• jääkaappi: the refrigerator
• hiljaa: quietly
• surista: to buzz

Questions & Answers about Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.

In jääkaappi, what do jää and kaappi each mean? Is this kind of compound noun typical in Finnish?

Jääkaappi is a compound noun:

• jää = ice
• kaappi = cupboard, cabinet

So the word literally means “ice cupboard”, i.e. a cupboard that keeps things cold → a refrigerator.

Yes, this kind of compounding is very typical in Finnish. A few other examples:

• kirjahylly = kirja (book) + hylly (shelf) → bookcase
• hammaslääkäri = hammas (tooth) + lääkäri (doctor) → dentist
• sähköposti = sähkö (electricity) + posti (mail) → email

Finnish often builds new meanings by combining simple words like this.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before jääkaappi?

Finnish has no articles like “the” or “a/an”.

The bare noun jääkaappi can mean:

• a fridge
• the fridge
• my/our fridge (if that is obvious from context)
• or a generic fridge (“fridges in general”) depending on context and word order.

If you really need to point out a specific one, you might say:

• se jääkaappi = that fridge / the fridge (we both know about)

But normally, jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla is understood as “the fridge hums quietly in the evening” from context alone.

Why is the verb surisee and not the dictionary form surista?

Finnish dictionaries list verbs in the 1st infinitive form:

• surista = (to) hum, buzz

In a real sentence, you must conjugate the verb to agree with the subject.

• Subject: jääkaappi → 3rd person singular (“it”)
• Tense: present

The present tense of surista is:

• minä surisen – I hum
• sinä suriset – you hum (sg.)
• hän / se surisee – he/she/it hums
• me surisemme – we hum
• te surisette – you hum (pl.)
• he / ne surisevat – they hum

So with jääkaappi (it) as the subject, you need surisee.

Where does hiljaa come from, and what is the difference between hiljaa and hiljaisesti?

The basic adjective is:

• hiljainen = quiet

From this, Finnish has two adverb-like forms:

1. hiljaa

   • Historically the partitive of hiljainen, but in modern Finnish it’s just treated as an adverb.
   • Very common in everyday speech.
   • Means quietly, softly, in a low voice.

2. hiljaisesti

   • Formed with the productive adverb ending -sti: hiljainen → hiljaisesti.
   • Also means quietly, but sounds more formal, bookish, or slightly more manner-focused.

In your sentence, hiljaa is absolutely the most natural choice:

• Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla. – normal, idiomatic
• Jääkaappi surisee hiljaisesti illalla. – correct but a bit more formal/literary in feel

In most everyday contexts, use hiljaa.

Why does ilta become illalla? What does the ending -lla mean here?

Base noun:

• ilta = evening

In illalla, you see two things:

1. Consonant gradation (t → ll)
   Many Finnish words change a consonant in oblique forms. For ilta you get the stem illa-:

   • nominative: ilta (evening)
   • genitive: illan (of the evening)
   • partitive: iltaa (evening, some evening)
   • adessive: illalla (on / at the evening)

2. The case ending -lla (adessive singular)
   Literally, -lla/-llä often means “on / at” a location, but with times it usually translates as “in / on / at [time]”:

   • illalla = in the evening / this evening (depending on context)
   • aamulla = in the morning
   • yöllä = at night

So illalla is the standard way to say “in the evening” in Finnish.

What’s the difference between illalla, iltana, and iltaisin?

All come from ilta (“evening”), but they express time a bit differently:

1. illalla (adessive, -lla)

   • Default way to say “in the evening / this evening / that evening” depending on context.
   • Used for a specific or typical point in time:
     • Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.
       → The fridge hums quietly in the evening (for example, tonight, or usually in the evenings).

2. iltana (essive, -na)

   • Used more with a specified evening:
     • Eräänä iltana jääkaappi surisi hyvin kovaa.
       → One evening the fridge was humming very loudly.
   • Literally “as an evening, on (a particular) evening”.

3. iltaisin (instructive / adverbial form)

   • Means “in the evenings, every evening, evenings in general” (habitual):
     • Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa iltaisin.
       → The fridge hums quietly in the evenings (regularly).

So:

• illalla – this/that evening, in the evening (single or context-specific)
• iltaisin – in the evenings (habitual)
• iltana – on a certain evening (often with something like eräänä, “one”)

Can I change the word order, like Illalla jääkaappi surisee hiljaa? Does the meaning change?

Yes, Finnish word order is fairly flexible. All of these are grammatical:

1. Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.
   – Neutral: topic jääkaappi, then what it does, then when.

2. Illalla jääkaappi surisee hiljaa.
   – Puts illalla in focus: “In the evening, the fridge (in particular) hums quietly.”
   – Often used if you are contrasting times: Illalla it hums, mutta yöllä se on hiljaa.

3. Jääkaappi illalla surisee hiljaa.
   – Still correct, but a bit less natural; sounds like you are inserting a side remark “in the evening”.

4. Hiljaa jääkaappi surisee illalla.
   – Focus on how: “Quietly the fridge hums in the evening.” (stylistic, poetic, or contrastive).

The core meaning (“fridge – hum – quietly – in the evening”) stays the same; word order mainly affects emphasis and information structure, not basic grammar.

In English we say “the fridge is humming” (continuous). Does surisee mean both “hums” and “is humming”?

Yes.

Finnish does not have a separate continuous/progressive tense like English “is humming” vs “hums”.

The present tense surisee can correspond to both:

• The fridge hums quietly in the evening.
• The fridge is humming quietly in the evening.

Context decides whether you mean a habitual action (it usually does this) or something happening right now.

Could I use another verb like hurista or pöristä instead of surista? Are there differences in nuance?

Yes, there are several “noise verbs” for machines, each with its own feel:

• surista – to hum, buzz (fairly neutral, a soft ongoing sound)
• hurista – to whirr, to make a low continuous machine noise (often used for engines, fans)
• pöristä – to purr/burr, often a bit rougher or rattling, sometimes small engines or insects

All can be used of machines, but they paint slightly different sound pictures:

• Jääkaappi surisee hiljaa illalla.
  → Soft, gentle humming.
• Jääkaappi hurisee hiljaa illalla.
  → More like a whirring fridge motor.
• Jääkaappi pörisee hiljaa illalla.
  → Suggests a little more rattle or irregular vibration.

Your original verb surisee is the most neutral for a soft fridge noise.

Is surisee only for third person singular? How would I say “I hum quietly in the evening”?

Surisee is specifically 3rd person singular (he/she/it).

The full present tense of surista:

• minä surisen – I hum
• sinä suriset – you hum (sg.)
• hän / se surisee – he / she / it hums
• me surisemme – we hum
• te surisette – you hum (pl.)
• he / ne surisevat – they hum

So:

• Minä surisen hiljaa illalla.
  → I hum quietly in the evening.

You would still keep hiljaa and illalla exactly the same.

How do I say “The fridge does not hum quietly in the evening” in Finnish?

Finnish uses a special negative verb (ei) that takes person, and the main verb goes into a short form (the so‑called “connegative” form).

For jääkaappi (3rd person singular), the pattern is:

• Jääkaappi ei surise hiljaa illalla.
  → The fridge does not hum quietly in the evening.

Here:

• ei – 3rd person singular of the negative verb
• surise – connegative form (no personal ending)
• jääkaappi, hiljaa, illalla stay the same.