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Pyyhin pölyn pois lattialta märällä liinalla.

Pyyhin pölyn pois lattialta märällä liinalla.
I wipe the dust off the floor with a wet cloth.
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Questions & Answers about Pyyhin pölyn pois lattialta märällä liinalla.

Why is pyyhin used here, and what tense is it?

Pyyhin is the 1st person singular form of the verb pyyhkiä (to wipe).
It’s formally ambiguous: pyyhin can be both

  • present: I wipe / I am wiping, and
  • imperfect (past): I wiped.

In a normal “completed action” sentence like this, it’s typically understood as past (I wiped), but the form itself doesn’t force that—context does.

Why isn’t there a word for I (minä) in the sentence?

Finnish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person/number.
Pyyhin already means (I) wipe / wiped, so minä is optional and would mainly add emphasis: Minä pyyhin… = I (specifically) wiped…

Why is pöly in the form pölyn?

Pölyn is the “total object” form (often called accusative/genitive in singular). It suggests the dust is treated as something removed as a whole/result: you got it off.

If you mean an indefinite amount, you’d typically use partitive:

  • Pyyhin pölyä pois… = I wiped (some) dust off… / I was wiping dust off…

So pölyn leans toward a completed, result-like action.

What does pois do, and why is it separate from the verb?

Pois is a particle meaning away / off. It adds the idea of removal: wipe away/off.
Finnish often expresses these “phrasal verb” meanings with a separate particle:

  • pyyhkiä = to wipe
  • pyyhkiä pois = to wipe away/off (remove)

You’ll also see it with other verbs: ottaa pois (take away), heittää pois (throw away).

Why is it lattialta and not something like lattiasta or lattialla?

Lattialta is the ablative case, meaning from (a surface). Dust is removed from the surface of the floor, so Finnish uses:

  • -lla/-llä (adessive): on/at a surface → lattialla = on the floor
  • -lta/-ltä (ablative): from a surface → lattialta = off/from the floor

Lattiasta (elative, “out of/from inside”) would sound like the dust is coming out of the floor as a container, which isn’t the intended image.

Why do we have both pois and lattialta—don’t they both mean “off”?

They contribute different pieces:

  • lattialta specifies the source/location: from the floor (surface)
  • pois emphasizes the result/direction: away/off (so it’s gone)

Together they sound very natural: pölyn pois lattialta = the dust off the floor (so it’s removed).

Why is it märällä liinalla and what case is that?

Märällä liinalla is in the adessive case (-lla/-llä), which is commonly used for tools/instruments: with/by means of.

So:

  • liinalla = with a cloth
  • märällä liinalla = with a wet cloth

This is a very common pattern: kirjoitan kynällä (I write with a pen).

Why does the adjective look like märällä instead of märä?

Adjectives agree with the noun in case and number. Since liinalla is adessive, the adjective must also be adessive:

  • märä liina = a wet cloth (nominative)
  • märällä liinalla = with a wet cloth (adessive)
Is liinalla “a cloth” or “the cloth”? How do I know?

Finnish doesn’t have articles (a/the). liinalla can mean with a cloth or with the cloth depending on context.

If you want to be more specific, you can add something:

  • tällä liinalla = with this cloth
  • sillä liinalla = with that/the (aforementioned) cloth
What is the normal word order here, and can it change?

A neutral order is basically: Verb – object – particle – source – instrument
→ Pyyhin pölyn pois lattialta märällä liinalla.

Word order can change to highlight information:

  • Märällä liinalla pyyhin pölyn pois lattialta. (emphasizes the tool)
  • Lattialta pyyhin pölyn pois märällä liinalla. (emphasizes the place)

The cases keep the roles clear even if order shifts.

Why is it pölyn but lattialta and liinalla—how do I keep these roles straight?

Think of it as “roles” marked by endings:

  • pölyn = the thing affected/removed (object)
  • lattialta = where from (source, “off the surface”)
  • liinalla = with what (instrument/tool)

Finnish relies heavily on these case endings instead of prepositions and fixed word order.

How do you pronounce tricky parts like pyyhin, pölyn, lattialta, märällä?

A few key points:

  • yy and ö are front vowels: pyy-, pö-, mär- (keep them clearly distinct from u/o/a).
  • Double vowels are long: pyy- is longer than py-.
  • tt in lattialta is a long t sound.
  • Stress is usually on the first syllable: PYY-hin, PÖ-lyn, LAT-ti-al-ta, MÄ-räl-lä.