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Suljen hanan, koska vesi on liian kylmää.

Suljen hanan, koska vesi on liian kylmää.
I close the tap because the water is too cold.

Breakdown of Suljen hanan, koska vesi on liian kylmää.

minä
I
olla
to be
koska
because
sulkea
to close
kylmä
cold
liian
too
hana
tap
vesi
water
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Questions & Answers about Suljen hanan, koska vesi on liian kylmää.

Why is suljen used here, and what verb form is it?

Suljen is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb sulkea (to close).
Finnish often uses the present tense for actions happening right now or in the near future, so Suljen hanan means I’m closing the tap / I’ll close the tap depending on context.

How do you get from sulkea to suljen?

The stem changes slightly in conjugation:

  • Infinitive: sulkea
  • Present stem: sulje-
  • 1st person ending: -n So: sulje + n → suljen.
    This is a common pattern for verbs ending in -ea/-eä.
What does hana mean, and is it “tap” or “faucet”?

Hana means a tap/faucet. It’s the general everyday word in Finnish for the thing you turn to control water.

Why is it hanan and not hana?

Because hana is the object of the verb suljen (I close X), and Finnish marks many total/complete objects with the accusative, which for singular nouns often looks like the genitive -n.
So hanan here is essentially “the tap (as a complete object being closed).”

Is hanan genitive or accusative? How can I tell?

Form-wise, hanan looks like the genitive singular (ending -n). In many sentences, that same -n form is also used for the accusative singular (the “total object”).
In practice for learners, it’s easiest to think:

  • Suljen hanan = “I close the tap (completely)” → total object → -n form
Could it be suljen hanaa instead? What would that change?

Yes, suljen hanaa (partitive object) is possible, but it changes the nuance:

  • Suljen hanan = I close the tap (a complete, finished action / the tap is shut)
  • Suljen hanaa = I’m closing the tap (process/ongoing), or closing it “somewhat,” or in contexts where the completion isn’t emphasized
    For a normal, complete “turn it off,” hanan is the most typical.
Why is the conjunction koska used, and does it affect word order?

Koska means because and introduces a subordinate clause.
Finnish word order is fairly flexible, but a basic structure remains:

  • Main clause: Suljen hanan
  • Because-clause: koska vesi on liian kylmää
    Unlike some languages, Finnish doesn’t force a special “verb-last” order here; vesi on is perfectly normal.
Why is it vesi on and not something like “it is water” or “the water is”?

Finnish doesn’t use a dummy subject like English it in weather/condition statements. You simply state the subject:

  • vesi = the water
  • on = is
    So vesi on... = the water is...
Why is kylmää in the partitive form?

After olla (to be), Finnish often uses the partitive for adjectives describing:

  • an unbounded quality (a general property, not a fixed amount), or
  • a state/condition in a general sense

So vesi on kylmää is the natural way to say the water is cold.
The partitive singular of kylmä is kylmää.

If the adjective is partitive (kylmää), why isn’t the noun vesi also partitive?

Because vesi is the subject here, and subjects are typically in the nominative (basic dictionary form): vesi.
The predicate adjective (what the subject “is like”) can be partitive: kylmää.

What does liian do in the sentence, and where does it go?

Liian means too. It modifies an adjective or adverb:

  • liian kylmää = too cold
    It usually comes directly before the word it modifies, as it does here.
How would you negate this sentence?

Finnish negation uses the negative verb en with the main verb in a special form:

  • En sulje hanan, koska vesi on liian kylmää. = I’m not closing the tap, because the water is too cold.
    (Here sulje is the connegative form used with en.)
How is this sentence pronounced (especially the tricky parts)?

A few common points for English speakers:

  • Suljen: the lj is like a “soft” l + y glide for many speakers (varies by dialect), roughly sul-yen.
  • hanan: stress on first syllable: HA-nan.
  • koska: KOS-ka.
  • liian: long ii: lii-an (two syllables).
  • kylmää: front vowel y (like German ü), and long ää at the end.