Muistan syyn, miksi bussi oli myöhässä.

I remember the reason why the bus was late.

Breakdown of Muistan syyn, miksi bussi oli myöhässä.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• miksi: why
• muistaa: to remember
• bussi: the bus
• myöhäinen: late
• syy: the reason
• -yn: to

Questions & Answers about Muistan syyn, miksi bussi oli myöhässä.

Why is it syyn and not syy?

Because syy is the basic dictionary form (nominative). In this sentence, syy is the object of muistan (I remember), and a complete/definite object is typically marked as a total object, which often looks like the genitive -n in the singular: syy → syyn.
So Muistan syyn = I remember the (specific) reason.

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Is syyn genitive or accusative?

Formally it’s the genitive singular form (syyn), but functionally it’s acting as the total object (often called the accusative function). In Finnish, the singular total object is usually identical to the genitive form for most nouns, so you’ll often hear “genitive-looking accusative.”

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Could it be Muistan syytä instead?

Yes, but it changes the nuance.

• Muistan syyn = I remember the reason (a specific, fully identified reason).
• Muistan syytä (partitive) = I remember (some) reason / I remember the reason only partially / the reason is kind of vague.

Also, in negatives you must use partitive: En muista syytä = I don’t remember the reason.

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What is miksi doing here—why is it not just a question word?

Miksi can introduce a subordinate clause meaning why, not only a direct question. Here it functions like a relative/embedded “why”-clause linked to syy:
syy, miksi … = the reason why …

So it’s not “Why was the bus late?” as a standalone question, but “the reason why the bus was late.”

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Why is there a comma before miksi?

Finnish normally uses a comma to separate the main clause from a subordinate clause.
Muistan syyn, miksi bussi oli myöhässä.
= main clause (Muistan syyn) + subordinate clause (miksi…)

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Can you say it without syy?

Yes, very naturally:
Muistan, miksi bussi oli myöhässä. = I remember why the bus was late.

Using syy adds a slightly more “noun-like” feel: you’re explicitly talking about the reason as a thing.

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Could you also say Muistan syyn, että bussi oli myöhässä?

Not in that exact form. If you use että, you normally need siihen:

• Muistan syyn siihen, että bussi oli myöhässä. = I remember the reason that the bus was late.

But syy, miksi… is often the more direct and common pattern for “reason why.”

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What does myöhässä literally mean, and why that form?

myöhässä is the inessive case (ending -ssä/-ssä) used in an idiomatic expression:
olla myöhässä = to be late (literally something like “to be in lateness”).

Finnish often expresses states with a case form rather than an adjective.

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Is there a difference between bussi oli myöhässä and bussi myöhästyi?

Yes:

• bussi oli myöhässä = the bus was late (describes its state)
• bussi myöhästyi = the bus became late / got delayed (focuses on the event of becoming late)

Both can translate to “was late,” but the emphasis differs.

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Why is Muistan in the present tense if the bus was late in the past?

Because muistan describes your current state: I remember (now). The lateness happened earlier, so the embedded clause uses past: oli myöhässä (was late). This tense combination is very normal.

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Could the word order be different?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible, mainly used for emphasis. For example:

• Syyn muistan, miksi bussi oli myöhässä. = The reason I remember, why the bus was late. (emphasis on syyn)
  The original Muistan syyn… is the neutral, most common order.

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Could minkä takia replace miksi?

Often, yes:
Muistan syyn, minkä takia bussi oli myöhässä.
It’s understandable, but syy, miksi… is generally the cleaner, more idiomatic pairing. minkä takia is a bit heavier/longer, like “for what reason.”