Lauseenosina

Lauseenosina is a term used in Finnish grammar to describe a clause that functions as a constituent within a larger sentence rather than standing alone as a complete sentence. Such clauses, often called subordinate clauses in broader linguistic terminology, carry their own subject and predicate but are embedded inside the main clause and related to it in terms of time, reason, condition, purpose, or description. Lauseenosina can be finite, containing a finite verb, or non-finite, using verbals such as participles or infinitives.

In practice, lauseenosina are typically introduced by subordinating conjunctions or relative elements, and they may serve several grammatical roles. Content clauses can act as objects or complements, while adverbial clauses can modify the main clause by indicating time, cause, condition, or purpose. Relative clauses function to modify a noun within the main clause. Finnish texts often separate lauseenosina from the main clause with a comma, though punctuation rules can vary with emphasis and rhythm.

Common examples illustrate the range of functions. Sanoit, että tulet myöhemmin. (you said that you will come later) features a finite content clause as a complement. Kun satoi, emme menneet ulos. (When it rained) is a temporal subordinate clause modifying the main clause. Talo, jonka ostin, tarvitsee remonttia. (the house that I bought) shows a relative lauseenosina modifying a noun. Lauseenosina thus play a key role in the syntactic structure of Finnish sentences by linking ideas within one sentence.