Language/Finnish/Grammar/Postpositions

Finnish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Postpositions

As a Finnish language teacher of 20 years, I am excited to introduce the topic of postpositions to you. In this lesson, we will dive into the usage of postpositions in Finnish sentences, including time and place postpositions.

What are Postpositions?

Postpositions are words that come after a noun or pronoun in order to show its relationship to another part of the sentence. In Finnish, postpositions are used instead of prepositions, which come before the noun or pronoun in English.

For example, in English, we say "on the table," whereas in Finnish, we say "pöydällä" (on the table). In this example, "pöydällä" is a postposition that comes after the noun "pöytä" (table).

Usage of Time Postpositions

Finnish has many postpositions related to time that are commonly used in conversation. Here are some examples:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
tänään	['tænæ.æn]	today
eilen	['eɪ.len]	yesterday
huomenna	[huo̯.menːɑ]	tomorrow
aamulla	['ɑː.mu.l.lɑ]	in the morning
illalla	['ilːɑl.lɑ]	in the evening
yöllä	['yølːæ]	at night

It's important to remember that in Finnish, the postposition comes after the noun, as seen in the above examples.

Here are some example sentences with time postpositions:

• Tänään on maanantai. (Today is Monday.)
• Eilinen päivä oli raskas. (Yesterday was a tough day.)
• Huomenna menen uimaan. (I am going swimming tomorrow.)
• Aamulla syön aina jogurttia. (I always eat yogurt in the morning.)
• Illalla katson televisiota. (I watch TV in the evening.)
• Yöllä nukun hyvin. (I sleep well at night.)

Usage of Place Postpositions

Finnish also has many postpositions related to place that are commonly used in conversation. Here are some examples:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
päällä	['pæl.læ]	on top of
alla	['ɑl.lɑ]	under
vieressä	['vieresːæ]	next to
takana	['tɑkɑnɑ]	behind
edessä	['e.desːæ]	in front of
keskellä	['ke̞s.ke̞l.læ]	in the middle of

Again, remember that in Finnish, the postposition comes after the noun, as seen in the above examples.

Here are some example sentences with place postpositions:

• Kirja on pöydällä. (The book is on the table.)
• Avain on lattialla. (The key is on the floor.)
• Puhelin on vieressäni. (The phone is next to me.)
• Auto seisoo talon takana. (The car is parked behind the house.)
• Istun penkillä edessäsi. (I am sitting on the bench in front of you.)
• Kissa nukkuu keskellä huonetta. (The cat is sleeping in the middle of the room.)

Additional Information

It's important to remember that the usage of postpositions in Finnish is very precise, and can take some practice to master. It's a good idea to practice with different examples and to listen to native speakers to gain a better understanding of proper usage.

In addition, there are some postpositions that have multiple meanings and can be used in different contexts, so it's important to pay attention to context clues to understand the intended meaning.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this lesson on Finnish postpositions! Remember, postpositions are a crucial part of Finnish grammar and are essential in understanding the relationships between words in a sentence. Keep practicing and before you know it, you'll be using postpositions like a pro!

Table of Contents - Finnish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Finnish

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Adjectives

• Noun Cases
• Adjective Agreement

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

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Daily Activities

• Daily Routine
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Out

  ---

Prepositions and Postpositions

• Prepositions
• Postpositions

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Finnish Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Finnish Sauna

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Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

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Conjunctions and Subordinate Clauses

• Conjunctions
• Subordinate Clauses

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

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Finnish Literature and Music

• Finnish Literature
• Finnish Music

Related Lessons

• Indefinite Articles in Finnish
• Nouns
• How to Use Be
• Adjectives
• Possessive Case in Finnish
• Give your Opinion
• Conjunctions
• Finnish Verbs: Present Tense
• Finnish Sentence Structure
• Conditional Mood

Sources

• Finnish grammar - Wikipedia
• The Inflection of Postpositions - Finnish Grammar - Uusi kielemme
• Finnish/Grammar-Suffixes - Wikibooks, open books for an open world