Tagesschau World 2d ago Original

Belfastissa on mellakoita.

There are riots in Belfast.

Finnish · A1 level

Simple Finnish

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1.

Mellakka alkoi veitsihyökkäyksen jälkeen.

The riot started after a knife attack.
2.

Hyökkääjä on 30-vuotias sudanilainen mies.

The attacker is a 30-year-old Sudanese man.
3.

Mellakoijat polttivat busseja ja rakennuksia.

Rioters burned buses and buildings.
4.

Ihmiset protestoivat maahanmuuttoa vastaan.

People are protesting against immigration.
5.

Poliisi pyytää, että video ei leviäisi.

Police ask that the video not spread.
6.

Poliisi epäilee miestä murhan yrityksestä.

Police suspect the man of attempted murder.
7.

Poliisi ei näe terrorismin merkkejä.

Police do not see signs of terrorism.
8.

Poliisi pidätti miehen.

Police arrested the man.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
olla on	to be there is/are	3rd person singular present tense
alkaa alkoi	to start started	past tense (imperfect)
pidättää pidätti	to arrest arrested	past tense (imperfect)
mellakka mellakoita	riot riots	partitive plural
protestoida protestoivat	to protest protest (3rd person plural)	present tense
vastaan vastaan	against	postposition (requires genitive/accusative case)

0. Belfastissa on mellakoita.

This sentence uses the inessive case ('-ssa') to indicate location. The inessive case answers the question 'where?' and is formed by adding '-ssa' or '-ssä' to the stem of the word, depending on vowel harmony. Here, 'Belfast' becomes 'Belfastissa' to show that the riots are happening in Belfast. Learners can use this structure to describe where something is happening, e.g., 'Helsingissä on sataa' (It is raining in Helsinki).

1. Mellakka alkoi veitsihyökkäyksen jälkeen.

This sentence uses the genitive case ('-n') to show possession or connection. Here, 'veitsihyökkäys' (knife attack) becomes 'veitsihyökkäyksen' to indicate that the riot started after the knife attack. The genitive case is often used with postpositions like 'jälkeen' (after). Learners can practice this by describing sequences, e.g., 'Kahvin jälkeen menen töihin' (After coffee, I go to work).

4. Ihmiset protestoivat maahanmuuttoa vastaan.

This sentence uses the partitive case ('-a/-ä') with the postposition 'vastaan' (against). The partitive case is used here because 'maahanmuutto' (immigration) is an abstract noun and the action is ongoing. The postposition 'vastaan' always requires the partitive case. Learners can use this structure to express opposition, e.g., 'Hän on sotaa vastaan' (He is against war).