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Pidän sivuoven kiinni, kunnes opas avaa sen.

Pidän sivuoven kiinni, kunnes opas avaa sen.
I keep the side door closed until the guide opens it.
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Questions & Answers about Pidän sivuoven kiinni, kunnes opas avaa sen.

Why does pidän mean I keep here instead of I like?

The verb pitää has several common meanings, including to like and to keep/hold. In this sentence, pidän … kiinni is a fixed, very common pattern meaning I keep … closed/shut (or I hold … shut). The word kiinni strongly signals the keep/hold shut meaning, not the like meaning.

What exactly is kiinni grammatically—an adjective or something else? Why doesn’t it change form?

Kiinni is typically treated as an adverb/particle-like word meaning closed / shut / fast / attached depending on context. In pidän oven kiinni, kiinni describes the state, but it doesn’t behave like a normal agreeing adjective, so it stays the same regardless of the noun.
Compare:

  • ovi on kiinni = the door is closed
  • pidän oven kiinni = I keep the door closed
Why is it sivuoven and not sivuovi?

Sivuoven is the object in the -n form (genitive/accusative-looking form). The base noun is sivuovi (side door), and its -n form is sivuoven. Here it’s used as the object of pidän in the “keep X shut” structure.

Could it be pidän sivuovea kiinni instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, pidän sivuovea kiinni is also possible and common.

A rough guide:

  • pidän sivuoven kiinni → treating it as a whole, definite object (often taught as a “total object” feel)
  • pidän sivuovea kiinni → more “ongoing/continuous” or “some of it / the situation” (partitive), often used when emphasizing the activity of holding/keeping it shut

In real usage, both can be heard, and the difference is subtle. If you want a safe, very idiomatic option, pidän oven kiinni is widely accepted.

Why is there a comma before kunnes?

Because kunnes opas avaa sen is a subordinate clause. In Finnish, subordinate clauses are normally separated with a comma:

  • Pidän sivuoven kiinni, kunnes …
What does kunnes mean exactly, and how is it different from kun?

Kunnes means until (the point when) and sets an endpoint:

  • … kunnes opas avaa sen = … until the guide opens it

Kun usually means when (time) or because depending on context, but it does not inherently mean “up to that point.”
So kunnes is the natural choice for “until.”

Why are both verbs in the present tense (pidän, avaa) even if this is about the future?

Finnish often uses the present tense for near-future or planned actions, especially in time clauses:

  • kunnes opas avaa sen can refer to an opening that will happen later.

Finnish doesn’t require a special future tense; context handles it.

What is sen referring to, and could it be left out?

Sen means it and refers back to sivuovi (the side door). Finnish allows dropping pronouns sometimes, but here avaa sen sounds very natural and clear. You can occasionally hear kunnes opas avaa in context, but it can feel incomplete unless it’s very obvious what is being opened.

Why is it opas (nominative) and not some other case?

In kunnes opas avaa sen, opas is the subject of the verb avaa (opens), so it’s in the basic dictionary form (nominative). The object is sen (it).

Is sivuovi a compound word? How is it formed?

Yes. sivuovi is a compound:

  • sivu = side
  • ovi = door
    Together: sivuovi = side door.
    In compounds, Finnish typically writes them as one word.