Kun herätyskello soi, nousen ylös heti.

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Breakdown of Kun herätyskello soi, nousen ylös heti.

• kun: when
• heti: immediately
• herätyskello: the alarm clock

Questions & Answers about Kun herätyskello soi, nousen ylös heti.

What does kun mean here, and what kind of clause is Kun herätyskello soi?

Here kun means when.

It introduces a subordinate time clause:

• Kun herätyskello soi = When the alarm clock rings

So the sentence has two parts:

• Kun herätyskello soi = the time/background clause
• nousen ylös heti = the main clause

In Finnish, kun can also mean when in other contexts, and sometimes learners meet it in meanings that feel closer to as or even since/because depending on context, but in this sentence it is simply a time word: when.

Why is it soi and not soittaa?