Learn Hardcore Finnish: Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse. - The sun is starting to set behind the lake.

alkaa + verb (1st infinitive)
- alkaa laskea = to begin to set / go down
- alkaa sataa = to begin to rain
- alkaa nauraa = to begin to laugh

If you said Aurinko laskee, that would be a complete sentence on its own: “The sun is setting / the sun sets.”
When you add alkaa, the second verb must go back to the infinitive: alkaa laskea.

What does laskea mean? I’ve seen it translated as “count” too.

Laskea is a very polysemous verb in Finnish. Common meanings include:

to go down / to descend
- Aurinko laskee. = The sun sets.
- Lämpötila laskee. = The temperature drops.
to lower (something)
- Laske ääntäsi. = Lower your voice.
to count
- Laskea rahaa. = To count money.
- Osaatko laskea kymmeneen? = Can you count to ten?

In Aurinko alkaa laskea, the context (sun + evening, usually) makes “to descend / to set” the intended meaning. Finnish is fine with one verb covering all of these; speakers understand from context.

Why is it järven and not järvi?

Järvi is the basic form (“a lake / the lake”).
Järven is the genitive form (“of the lake”), and it’s required because of the word taakse.

In Finnish, many postpositions (words like “behind”, “in front of”, “next to”) require the genitive form of the noun before them:

järven taakse = behind the lake (to a position behind the lake)
talon taakse = behind the house
vuoren taakse = behind the mountain

So the structure is:

[Noun in genitive] + taakse
järven taakse literally: “to the back-of the lake” → behind the lake

What exactly is taakse? Is it a case ending?

Taakse is a postposition, related to takana and taakse / taaksepäin:

taka = “back / rear” (root)
takana = behind (static location)
- Järven takana = behind the lake (where something is)
taakse = to behind, to the back side (direction/motion)
- Järven taakse = (moving) to a place behind the lake

Formally we treat taakse as part of a postpositional phrase, not as a single case ending on järvi. But functionally, järven taakse is a kind of “directional behind-phrase,” comparable to a locative case in meaning.

Key contrast:

Järven takana = behind the lake (no movement)
Järven taakse = (going) behind the lake (movement / direction)

What case is järven taakse overall? Is “järvi” the object?

There is no single case name for the whole phrase; instead, you have:

järven – genitive singular of järvi
taakse – postposition indicating direction (“to behind”)

In terms of grammar roles:

Aurinko is the subject.
alkaa laskea is the verb phrase.
järven taakse is an adverbial of place/direction (where the sun is setting to).

So järvi is not an object here. The sun isn’t “doing something to the lake”; it is moving to a location relative to the lake.

Why is it taakse and not takana here?

Because the sentence describes movement rather than a static location.

Finnish often has a pair of forms:

one for being somewhere (static)
one for going to somewhere (direction)

For “behind”:

takana = at a position behind
- Aurinko on järven takana. = The sun is behind the lake.
taakse = to a position behind
- Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse. = The sun is starting to go (down) behind the lake.

So:
takana = where something is
taakse = where something goes

What’s the difference between “Aurinko laskee järven taakse” and “Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse”?

Both are correct, but the nuance is different:

Aurinko laskee järven taakse.
- Neutral, simple statement: The sun sets behind the lake.
- Focus on the whole event itself.
Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse.
- Emphasises the beginning of the action: The sun is beginning to set behind the lake.
- Suggests we’re at the start of sunset.

So alkaa adds an “inchoative” nuance – the action is just starting.

Can I use aloittaa instead of alkaa here?

Not naturally, no.

The pattern is:

alkaa + infinitive → “to begin to do something”
- Aurinko alkaa laskea. = The sun begins to set.
aloittaa + noun / activity → “to start (some activity / project / event)”
- Aloitan työn. = I start (the) work.
- He aloittaa kurssin. = He starts the course.

You could say:

Aloitan laskemisen. = I start the counting / the act of counting.

But with the sun and its natural movement, Finnish uses alkaa with the infinitive:

✅ Aurinko alkaa laskea.
❌ Aurinko aloittaa laskea. (unidiomatic)

Why are there no words for “the” (like “the sun”, “the lake”)?

Finnish has no articles (no words like “a/an” or “the”).
Definiteness and indefiniteness are usually understood from context and word choice.

aurinko can mean:
- the sun (the one in our sky) – the normal interpretation
- a sun (in some abstract or science-fiction context)
järvi / järven can mean:
- a lake
- the lake (the one you are talking about or can see)

In this sentence, a natural translation in English uses definite forms:

Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse.
→ The sun is starting to set behind the lake.

How is aurinko conjugated with alkaa? Why alkaa and not some other form?

Aurinko is a third-person singular noun (“it”, essentially).
The verb must agree with it, so alkaa is also 3rd person singular, present tense.

The verb alkaa conjugation in the present:

(minä) alan – I begin
(sinä) alat – you begin (sg)
(hän / se) alkaa – he / she / it begins
(me) alamme – we begin
(te) alatte – you begin (pl)
(he / ne) alkavat – they begin

So:

Aurinko alkaa… – The sun begins…
Linnut alkavat laulaa. – The birds begin to sing.

Why isn’t taakse attached to “järvi” as an ending, like järven taakse vs something like järviin?

Finnish uses two main strategies for location and direction:

Real case endings on the noun:
- järveen = into the lake (illative)
- järvessä = in the lake (inessive)
- järvestä = out of the lake (elative)
Postpositions that need the genitive form before them:
- järven päällä = on top of the lake
- järven edessä = in front of the lake
- järven takana / taakse = behind the lake / to behind the lake

So taakse is a separate word, not a case ending. It always follows a noun in the genitive:

järven taakse
talon taakse
metsän taakse

Is there any difference between saying “järven taakse” and just “taakse”?

Yes, it’s about how specific you are:

järven taakse = behind the lake
- Specifies which “behind” you’re talking about.
taakse (alone) = to the back/behind (of something), but that “something” is understood from context.

For example, if you are standing by the lake and someone says:

Aurinko alkaa laskea taakse.
→ This would sound incomplete or at least very vague; native speakers would expect you to say what it’s going behind (järven, vuoren, talon, etc.), unless context is really obvious or it’s something fixed like “vuorten taakse” (“behind the mountains”).

With aurinko and a specific landscape, järven taakse is the natural, clear expression.

Could I replace järven taakse with some other phrase, like “horizon”?

Yes. The structure is the same: [genitive noun] + taakse.

Some examples:

Aurinko alkaa laskea horisontin taakse.
= The sun is beginning to set behind the horizon.
Aurinko laskee vuoren taakse.
= The sun sets behind the mountain.
Aurinko laskee metsän taakse.
= The sun sets behind the forest.

All of these describe the sun “disappearing” behind some feature of the landscape; only the noun changes, the grammar stays identical.

How would this sound in very plain or colloquial Finnish? Any changes?

Colloquially, people might:

Shorten or slightly blur pronunciation (especially taakse → taaks in speech),
But the written form usually remains:
- Aurinko alkaa laskee järven taakse. (spoken Finnish often uses laskee for infinitive in speech, though it’s non‑standard in writing)

Standard written Finnish keeps:

Aurinko alkaa laskea järven taakse.

So for correct written Finnish, stick with the original sentence; colloquial variants mainly affect pronunciation and some forms of the verbs in speech.