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Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.

Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.
The librarian said that the due date is also visible in the app.

Breakdown of Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.

myös
also
-ssa
in
että
that
näkyä
to be visible
sanoa
to say
kirjastonhoitaja
librarian
eräpäivä
due date
sovellus
app
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Questions & Answers about Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.

Why is there a comma before että?

In Finnish, a comma is normally used before a subordinate clause introduced by että (that), because it marks the boundary between the main clause and the subordinate clause:

  • Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että ... = The librarian said that ...

So the comma is standard here.

What exactly does että do in this sentence?

Että is the conjunction meaning that. It introduces reported/indirect speech or a content clause (a clause that contains what was said/thought/known).

  • sanoi, että ... = said that ...
  • Compare:
    • Direct speech: Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi: Eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.
    • Indirect speech: Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.
Why is sanoi past tense, but näkyy present tense?

Finnish doesn’t have a strict “sequence of tenses” rule like English often does. Even if the reporting verb is past (sanoi = said), the subordinate clause can stay in the present (näkyy = is visible/shows) if it’s still true now.

So this commonly means: the librarian spoke in the past, and the due date is (still) visible in the app.

If you specifically meant it was only true at that time (less common here), Finnish could rephrase, but the present is very natural for “still true” information.

What is the subject of the sentence, and how do I find it?

There are two clauses, each with its own subject:

1) Main clause: Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi

  • Subject: Kirjastonhoitaja (the librarian)

2) Subordinate clause: että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa

  • Subject: eräpäivä (the due date)

A quick clue: the verb endings show person/number, and the subject is often a nominative noun near the verb.

What does näkyy mean here? Is it “shows” or “can be seen”?

Näkyy is from näkyä and commonly means is visible / shows up / can be seen.

In an app/UI context, näkyy is very natural for “it appears (on screen)”:

  • Eräpäivä näkyy sovelluksessa = The due date is visible / shows up in the app.

It’s different from näyttää, which more strongly suggests “the app displays something” as an active function:

  • Sovellus näyttää eräpäivän = The app displays the due date.
Why is it sovelluksessa and not sovellus or sovellukseen?

Sovelluksessa is the inessive case (-ssa/-ssä) meaning in:

  • sovelluksessa = in the app

Other cases would change the meaning:

  • sovellukseen (illative) = into the app (movement/direction)
  • sovelluksesta (elative) = out of/from the app

Here the idea is location: where the due date can be seen → in the app.

What does myös attach to, and where can it go?

Myös means also/too/as well. In Finnish it can move around depending on emphasis.

In your sentence:

  • eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa ≈ the due date is also visible in the app
    This suggests: it’s visible somewhere else too (e.g., on the receipt/website), and additionally in the app.

Other placements are possible:

  • Myös eräpäivä näkyy sovelluksessa = Also the due date is visible in the app (maybe other info is visible too)
  • Eräpäivä näkyy sovelluksessa myös is possible but often feels more spoken/emphatic.
What is kirjastonhoitaja grammatically? Why does it look like two words joined?

Kirjastonhoitaja is a compound noun:

  • kirjasto = library
  • hoitaja = caretaker/attendant (in many jobs: nurse/attendant/keeper)
  • Combined: kirjastonhoitaja = librarian

The -n in the middle is a genitive-like linking form (kirjaston = of the library), which is common in Finnish compounds.

Why is eräpäivä in the basic form (nominative)? Shouldn’t it have an ending?

It’s the subject of the subordinate clause, so it appears in the nominative:

  • eräpäivä näkyy = the due date is visible

No object is being marked here; it’s more like “X is visible” rather than “someone sees X.”

If you used a verb like “see” (nähdä), then eräpäivä could become an object:

  • Näen eräpäivän. = I see the due date. (object in accusative/genitive-like form)
Is there another way to say the same thing without että?

Yes. Finnish often uses a participle construction instead of an että-clause:

  • Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi, että eräpäivä näkyy myös sovelluksessa.
  • Kirjastonhoitaja sanoi eräpäivän näkyvän myös sovelluksessa.

The second version is more compact and slightly more formal/written. It uses näkyvän (the participle form) to express “that the due date is visible.”

How do I pronounce että and what is that ä sound?
  • että is typically pronounced with a clear double t (a longer t sound): et-tä.
  • ä is like the vowel in cat for many English speakers (but usually a bit “cleaner” and more fronted in Finnish).

Also note vowel harmony: words with ä/ö/y tend to use -ssä rather than -ssa, so sovelluksessa has -ssa because it contains o, e, u (back/neutral vowels), not ä/ö/y.

Does Finnish require an article like “the” here?

No. Finnish has no articles (a/an/the). Context supplies definiteness.

So:

  • Kirjastonhoitaja can mean a librarian or the librarian depending on context.
  • eräpäivä can mean a due date or the due date.

In a typical library situation, English would naturally choose the because both are known from context.