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Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua, kysy minulta milloin tahansa, jos jokin kohta ohjeissa on epäselvä.

Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua, kysy minulta milloin tahansa, jos jokin kohta ohjeissa on epäselvä.
When it’s your turn to speak, ask me anytime if some point in the instructions is unclear.

Breakdown of Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua, kysy minulta milloin tahansa, jos jokin kohta ohjeissa on epäselvä.

olla
to be
puhua
to speak
-ssa
in
kun
when
minä
me
kysyä
to ask
jos
if
-lta
from
sinun
your
jokin
some
epäselvä
unclear
ohje
instruction
vuoro
turn
milloin tahansa
anytime
kohta
point
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Questions & Answers about Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua, kysy minulta milloin tahansa, jos jokin kohta ohjeissa on epäselvä.

Why does the sentence start with Kun?

Kun introduces a time clause: Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua = When it’s your turn to speak.
It sets the timing/condition for the main clause that follows (the instruction kysy…).

Why is the word order Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua and not Kun sinun vuorosi on puhua?

Both are possible. Finnish word order is flexible and often reflects information structure (what feels “given” vs “new”).

  • Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua is very natural and common; starting with on is typical in existential/“it is” type patterns.
  • Kun sinun vuorosi on puhua is also correct and may feel slightly more explicit or emphatic about your turn.

Meaning is essentially the same.

What case/form is vuorosi, and why does it already mean “your turn”?

vuoro = turn.
vuorosi = your turn, because it has the possessive suffix -si (your).

So vuorosi already encodes “your”.

If vuorosi already means “your turn”, why is sinun also there in sinun vuorosi?

sinun is optional here and is used for clarity or emphasis.

  • Kun on vuorosi puhua… = perfectly normal, “When it’s your turn to speak…”
  • Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua… = a bit more emphatic: “When it’s your turn…”

Finnish often allows either “double marking” (pronoun + possessive suffix) or just the suffix, especially in careful/clear instructions.

Why is puhua in the basic dictionary form and not conjugated?

puhua is the 1st infinitive (“to speak”).
The pattern olla jonkun vuoro + infinitive means it is someone’s turn to do something:

  • on sinun vuorosi puhua = “it’s your turn to speak”
  • on minun vuoroni aloittaa = “it’s my turn to start”

So the action stays in the infinitive.

What form is kysy, and is it polite?

kysy is the 2nd person singular imperative of kysyä (“to ask”): Ask (me)…

It’s neutral and common in instructions. If you want a more explicitly polite/softer version, Finnish often uses conditional:

  • kysyisitkö minulta… = “would you ask me… / could you ask me…”

But the imperative is not automatically rude; context matters.

Why is it kysy minulta and not kysy minua?

With kysyä (“to ask”), Finnish typically marks the person you ask with -lta/-ltä (ablative), essentially “ask from someone”:

  • kysy minulta = “ask me” (literally “ask from me”)
  • kysy opettajalta = “ask the teacher”

kysy minua would sound wrong for “ask me (a question)”. (Partitive minua can appear in other meanings/structures, but not this basic “ask someone” pattern.)

What does milloin tahansa mean here, and why is it milloin?

milloin tahansa means at any time / whenever.
Literally it’s “when(ever) you want”:

  • milloin = “when”
  • tahansa = “ever / any-”

You can also hear koska tahansa (“whenever”) or mitä tahansa (“anything”), depending on the question word.

Why is there a comma after puhua and another one before jos?

Finnish normally uses a comma to separate: 1) a subordinate clause from the main clause, and
2) another subordinate clause that follows.

So:

  • Kun on sinun vuorosi puhua, (time clause ends)
  • kysy minulta milloin tahansa, (main clause)
  • jos jokin kohta ohjeissa on epäselvä. (condition clause)

The punctuation maps the clause structure.

What’s the difference between jos and kun in this sentence?

Here they have different roles:

  • kun = time: “when (the moment comes that)…”
  • jos = condition: “if (it happens that)… / if (something is unclear)…”

So: “When it’s your turn to speak, ask me anytime if some part is unclear.”

Why is it jokin kohta and not joku kohta?

Both can occur, but they feel slightly different.

  • jokin often means “some (specific but not identified) / some particular”: if some point (in the instructions) is unclear
  • joku can feel more like “some (random/unspecified)”: “if some point or other is unclear”

In careful instructional Finnish, jokin kohta is very common.

What case is ohjeissa, and why plural?

ohjeissa is inessive plural of ohjeet (“instructions”):

  • ohjeet = instructions (commonly plural in Finnish)
  • ohjeissa = “in the instructions”

So jokin kohta ohjeissa = “some point in the instructions”.

How does on epäselvä work grammatically?

That part is a basic “X is Y” structure:

  • subject: jokin kohta (ohjeissa) = “some point (in the instructions)”
  • verb: on = “is”
  • predicate adjective: epäselvä = “unclear”

So: (if) some point in the instructions is unclear.