The Guardian Life 4d ago Original

Japanin Utsunomiyan kaupungissa suljettiin 94 koulua karhun takia.

In the city of Utsunomiya in Japan, 94 schools were closed because of a bear.

Finnish · A2 level

Simple Finnish

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1.

Karhu nähtiin kaupungissa ensimmäisen kerran lauantaina puistossa.

The bear was seen in the city for the first time on Saturday in a park.
2.

Karhu oli musta ja noin metrin pituinen.

The bear was black and about one meter long.
3.

Poliisi ja metsästäjät etsivät karhua kaupungissa.

Police and hunters are searching for the bear in the city.
4.

Karhu nähtiin myös sunnuntaiaamuna kaupungin keskustassa.

The bear was also seen in the city center on Sunday morning.
5.

Kaksi nuorta miestä säikähti karhua kaupungin keskustassa.

Two young men were frightened by the bear in the city center.
6.

Karhu juoksi heidän edessään aikaisin sunnuntaiaamuna.

The bear ran in front of them early on Sunday morning.
7.

Kaupunki on noin 100 kilometriä Tokiosta pohjoiseen.

The city is about 100 kilometers north of Tokyo.
8.

Kaupunki on suuri, ja siellä asuu puoli miljoonaa ihmistä.

The city is big, and half a million people live there.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
sulkea suljettiin	to close were closed	passive past tense (impersonal)
nähdä nähtiin	to see was seen	passive past tense (impersonal)
karhu karhun	bear because of a bear	genitive case (reason)
etsiä etsivät	to search are searching	present tense (3rd person plural)
juosta juoksi	to run ran	past tense (3rd person singular)
asua asuu	to live live	present tense (3rd person singular/plural)

0. Japanin Utsunomiyan kaupungissa suljettiin 94 koulua karhun takia.

The passive past tense ('suljettiin') is used here to describe an action without specifying who performed it. In Finnish, this is common in news reports and formal contexts. The structure is formed by adding '-tiin' to the verb stem. For example, 'syödä' (to eat) becomes 'syötiin' (was eaten). This form is useful when the focus is on the action itself, not the doer.

1. Karhu nähtiin kaupungissa ensimmäisen kerran lauantaina puistossa.

The genitive case ('karhun') is used here to indicate reason or cause, often translated as 'because of' in English. The genitive case is marked by the '-n' ending. For example, 'sade' (rain) becomes 'sateen' (because of rain). This case is frequently used with prepositions like 'takia' (because of) to explain reasons or causes.

6. Karhu juoksi heidän edessään aikaisin sunnuntaiaamuna.

The adessive case ('edessään') is used to indicate location, specifically 'in front of.' The adessive case is marked by the '-llä/-llä' ending. For example, 'pöytä' (table) becomes 'pöydällä' (on the table). Here, 'edessä' (front) becomes 'edessään' (in front of them), showing where the action took place. This case is essential for describing locations and positions.