Learn Hardcore Finnish: Pudonnut avain on lattialla.

In Pudonnut avain on lattialla, you need a form that can describe the noun avain (key), like an adjective: “the fallen key / the key that has fallen.” The bare verb pudota cannot directly modify a noun, but pudonnut can.

Is pudonnut avain more like “fallen key” or “the key that has fallen”?

Both are good ways to understand it:

pudonnut avain = “the fallen key”
also = “the key that has fallen”

Grammatically, pudonnut is an adjective-like participle modifying avain, so English can translate it either as an adjective (fallen) or a relative clause (that has fallen). The meaning is the same: a key which has undergone the action of falling.

How does pudonnut agree with avain? What happens in the plural?

Participles in Finnish agree with the noun in number and case, just like adjectives.

Here:

avain = key (singular, nominative)
pudonnut = fallen (singular, nominative)

So: pudonnut avain = the fallen key.

If it were plural:

avaimet = keys (plural, nominative)
pudonneet = fallen (plural, nominative)

So: Pudonneet avaimet ovat lattialla. = “The fallen keys are on the floor.”

Singular: pudonnut avain
Plural: pudonneet avaimet

Why is it pudonnut and not pudotettu?

Pudota and pudottaa are different verbs:

pudota = to fall (intransitive, no direct object)
pudottaa = to drop something (transitive, takes an object)

Their relevant participles:

pudonnut = has fallen / fallen (subject did the falling itself)
pudotettu = has been dropped / dropped (by someone or something)

So:

pudonnut avain = a key that (by itself) fell
pudotettu avain = a key that was dropped (by someone)

In your sentence, the idea is simply that the key ended up falling, not that someone intentionally dropped it, so pudonnut is used.

Is pudonnut here an adjective or a verb?

Formally, pudonnut is an active past participle of the verb pudota. Functionally in this sentence, it behaves like an adjective:

it directly modifies a noun (avain)
it agrees with the noun in number and case
the main verb of the sentence is on (is), not pudonnut

So grammatically it’s a verb form, but in this structure it works as an adjective-like descriptor: “fallen key.”

What exactly does on do in Pudonnut avain on lattialla?

On is the 3rd person singular form of olla (“to be”):

olla = to be
hän on / se on / avain on = he/she/it is / the key is

Here it is the main verb linking the subject and its location:

Pudonnut avain = the fallen key (subject)
on = is (verb)
lattialla = on the floor (location complement)

So: “The fallen key is on the floor.”

Why is it lattialla and not just lattia?

Lattia means “floor” in the basic (nominative) form, but Finnish uses local cases to express location instead of separate prepositions like “on, in, at.”

Lattialla is the adessive case:

lattia = floor
lattia + lla/llä → lattialla = on the floor

So lattialla literally encodes “on the floor” in one word. You cannot just say avain on lattia; you need the correct case for the location, lattialla.

What’s the difference between lattialla, lattialle, and lattialta?

These are three local cases indicating different aspects of location:

lattialla = on the floor (state, where something is)
- Avain on lattialla. = The key is on the floor.
lattialle = onto the floor (movement to)
- Avain putosi lattialle. = The key fell onto the floor.
lattialta = from (off) the floor (movement from)
- Nostin avaimen lattialta. = I picked the key up from the floor.

In your sentence, the key is simply located there, so lattialla is correct.

How can I say “The key fell onto the floor” instead of “The fallen key is on the floor”?

Use a normal past tense verb instead of the participle:

Avain putosi lattialle.

Breakdown:

avain = the key
putosi = fell (past tense of pudota)
lattialle = onto the floor (movement to the floor)

Compare:

Pudonnut avain on lattialla. = The fallen key is on the floor.
Avain putosi lattialle. = The key fell onto the floor.

How can there be “the key” in Finnish if there is no word for “the”?

Finnish has no articles (a, an, the). Definiteness is usually inferred from context, word order, and what is already known in the conversation.

Avain can mean either a key or the key. In isolation:

Pudonnut avain on lattialla. can be:
- “A fallen key is on the floor.”
- “The fallen key is on the floor.”

English translation usually picks the because it sounds more natural and we often assume a specific key is meant. In real context, previous sentences or shared knowledge would make it clear whether it’s “a” or “the.”

Can I change the word order, like putting lattialla first?

Yes, Finnish word order is flexible and often used to emphasize different parts. Possible variants:

Pudonnut avain on lattialla.
Neutral: “The fallen key is on the floor.”
Lattialla on pudonnut avain.
Emphasis on the location first: “On the floor there is a fallen key.”
Often interpreted as introducing this key as new information.

Both are grammatically correct; the nuance and focus shift slightly.

Could I say Avain, joka on pudonnut, on lattialla instead of Pudonnut avain on lattialla?

You can, and it’s grammatically correct:

Avain, joka on pudonnut, on lattialla.
= “The key that has fallen is on the floor.”

However, Finnish prefers participles for this kind of thing when it’s short and simple. Pudonnut avain on lattialla is more natural, more compact, and very typical Finnish style. The joka on pudonnut version sounds more explicit or slightly heavier, similar to overusing “which/that has…” in English when a participle would do.