The Guardian World 4d ago Original

Filippiinien entinen presidentti Duterte on syytettynä.

The former president of the Philippines, Duterte, has been accused.

Finnish · A1 level

Simple Finnish

Tap to reveal English

1.

Hän johti huumeita vastaan käytyä sotaa.

He led a war against drugs.
2.

Sota tappoi tuhansia ihmisiä.

The war killed thousands of people.
3.

Kansainvälinen tuomioistuin tutkii häntä.

The International Criminal Court is investigating him.
4.

Tuomarit sanovat, että todisteita on.

The judges say that there is evidence.
5.

Duterte on vastuussa murhista.

Duterte is responsible for the murders.
6.

Hän yritti myös tappaa ihmisiä.

He also tried to kill people.
7.

Huumeiden vastainen sota alkoi monta vuotta sitten.

The war on drugs started many years ago.
8.

Duterte ei ole enää presidentti.

Duterte is no longer president.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
syyttää syytettynä	to accuse accused (as a status)	Past passive participle (essive case)
johtaa johti	to lead led	Past tense (3rd person singular)
sota sotaa	war war (partitive case)	Partitive singular
tutkia tutkii	to investigate is investigating	Present tense (3rd person singular)
vastuussa vastuussa	responsible for	Essive case (adverbial form)
tappaa tappoi	to kill killed	Past tense (3rd person singular)

0. Filippiinien entinen presidentti Duterte on syytettynä.

The phrase 'on syytettynä' uses the essive case ('-na/-nä') to describe a temporary state or status. Here, it means 'is accused' or 'has been accused.' The essive case is often used with the verb 'olla' (to be) to indicate a state. For example, 'Hän on opettajana' means 'He is working as a teacher.' Learners can use this structure to describe roles or states, e.g., 'Hän on sairaana' (He is sick).

1. Hän johti huumeita vastaan käytyä sotaa.

The verb 'johtaa' (to lead) is in the past tense ('johti'), which is formed by adding '-i' to the verb stem. Finnish past tense is simple and does not change based on person. For example, 'Minä johti-n' (I led), 'Hän johti' (He led). This structure is useful for describing completed actions in the past. Learners can practice by forming sentences like 'Hän söi' (He ate) or 'Minä menin' (I went).

3. Kansainvälinen tuomioistuin tutkii häntä.

The verb 'tutkia' (to investigate) is in the present tense ('tutkii'), which is used for ongoing actions. The object 'häntä' (him) is in the partitive case, which is common for objects of verbs describing incomplete or ongoing actions. For example, 'Minä syön omenaa' (I am eating an apple). Learners should note that the partitive case is often used with verbs of consumption, emotion, or ongoing processes.