B1 Finnish GrammarRelative Clauses
Connect clauses in Finnish using relative pronouns joka, mikä, and interrogative-relative constructions.
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1Joka (Who/Which/That)
Joka is the main relative pronoun for people and things. It agrees in case with its role in the relative clause.
Joka Declension
| Case | Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | joka | subject |
| Genitive | jonka | possessor |
| Partitive | jota | partial object |
| Inessive | jossa | in which |
| Elative | josta | from which |
Examples
Mies, joka seisoo tuolla, on veljeni.
The man who is standing there is my brother.
joka = subject
Kirja, jonka luin, oli mielenkiintoinen.
The book that I read was interesting.
jonka = object (genitive)
Talo, jossa asun, on vanha.
The house in which I live is old.
jossa = in which
Kaupunki, josta tulen, on pieni.
The city from which I come is small.
josta = from which
2Mikä (What/Which)
Mikä is used when referring to entire clauses, indefinite things, or with superlatives.
Mikä Declension
| Case | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mikä | what/which |
| Genitive | minkä | of what |
| Partitive | mitä | what (partial) |
| Inessive | missä | in what |
Examples
Hän myöhästyi, mikä harmitti minua.
He/She was late, which annoyed me.
refers to whole clause
Tämä on parasta, mitä olen syönyt.
This is the best that I have eaten.
mitä with superlative
Kaikki, mitä sanoit, on totta.
Everything that you said is true.
mitä with kaikki
En tiedä, mikä on ongelma.
I don't know what the problem is.
indirect question
3Plural Relative Pronouns
For plural antecedents, use jotka (nominative plural) and its case forms.
Plural Forms
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | joka | jotka |
| Genitive | jonka | joiden |
| Partitive | jota | joita |
| Inessive | jossa | joissa |
Examples
Ihmiset, jotka tulivat, olivat ystävällisiä.
The people who came were friendly.
jotka = plural subject
Kirjat, joita luin, olivat hyviä.
The books that I read were good.
joita = plural object
Talot, joissa asuimme, olivat vanhoja.
The houses in which we lived were old.
joissa = in which (plural)
Lapset, joiden vanhemmat tulivat, olivat iloisia.
The children whose parents came were happy.
joiden = whose (plural)
4Relative Clause Word Order
In Finnish relative clauses, the relative pronoun comes first, followed by subject-verb or verb-subject order.
Word Order Patterns
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| rel + verb + subj | joka asuu täällä | who lives here |
| rel + subj + verb | jonka minä näin | whom I saw |
| rel + adv + verb | jossa hän asuu | where he lives |
Examples
Nainen, jonka tapasin eilen, soitti minulle.
The woman whom I met yesterday called me.
relative clause embedded
Auto, jolla ajamme, on uusi.
The car with which we drive is new.
jolla = with which
Paikka, jonne menemme, on kaukana.
The place where we are going is far.
jonne = to which
Aika, jolloin tapasin hänet, oli kesä.
The time when I met him/her was summer.
jolloin = when
Practice Exercises
5 exercises
Complete: 'Mies, ___ seisoo tuolla, on veljeni.' (The man who is standing there is my brother.)
Complete: 'Kirja, ___ luin, oli mielenkiintoinen.' (The book that I read was interesting.)
Complete: 'Talo, ___ asun, on vanha.' (The house in which I live is old.)
Complete: 'Ihmiset, ___ tulivat, olivat ystävällisiä.' (The people who came were friendly.)
Complete: 'Tämä on parasta, ___ olen syönyt.' (This is the best that I have eaten.)
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
“Merenneito päätti käydä merinoidan luona, joka asui pimeässä luolassa.”
“Paha velho karkotettiin jäätyneelle autiomaalle, jossa hän ei voinut vahingoittaa ketään.”
“Oven läpi Alice näki kauneimman puutarhan, jonka hän oli koskaan nähnyt.”
“'Hän opetti minulle kaiken, mitä tiedän tästä alasta.'”
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