Lauseet

Lauseet is the Finnish term for sentences or clauses. In linguistic and educational contexts it refers to a complete utterance that expresses a proposition, instruction, question, or emotion. The plural form lauseet is used when discussing multiple such utterances.

Finnish sentences are built around a finite verb that marks tense and mood, and they commonly include a subject that may be explicit or inferred from the verb’s inflection. Because Finnish relies heavily on case endings rather than fixed word order, the arrangement of words in a lause tends to be flexible. The standard punctuation for a sentence is a period, but question marks and exclamation points are used for questions and exclamations, respectively.

There are several primary types of lauseet. Declarative sentences (väitelauseet) state information, as in "Minä menen kouluun" (I go to school). Interrogative sentences (kysymysslauseet) ask questions, for example "Menetkö sinä kouluun?" (Are you going to school?). Imperative sentences (käskylauseet) give commands, such as "Lue tämä kirja" (Read this book). Exclamative or expressive sentences convey strong emotion, e.g., "Oi, mikä kaunis laulu!" (Oh, what a beautiful song!). Finnish also forms complex or compound lauseet by linking clauses with conjunctions like ja, mutta, koska, if needed.

In practice, lauseet are the basic units of Finnish discourse, ranging from simple statements to intricate sentences with subordinate clauses. They are central to grammar teaching, language comprehension, and everyday communication, and they illustrate how inflection, word order, and punctuation work together to convey meaning.