Lausekejäsenet

Lausekejäsenet, often translated as "clause members" or "sentence elements" in English, refer to the fundamental building blocks of a Finnish sentence that contribute to its overall meaning and structure. These elements are not always single words but can be phrases or even subordinate clauses themselves.

The core sentence members in Finnish are the subject (subjekti) and the predicate (predikaatti). The subject typically denotes the performer or experiencer of the action or state described by the predicate. The predicate, on the other hand, expresses the action, state, or characteristic related to the subject. Finnish is a pro-drop language, meaning the subject pronoun is often omitted when it is clear from the verb conjugation.

Beyond the subject and predicate, other important sentence members include the object (objekti), which receives the action of the verb, and various adverbials (adverbiaalit). Adverbials provide additional information about the circumstances of the action or state, such as time, place, manner, or cause. These can be expressed by adverbs, adverbial phrases, or even prepositional phrases.

Another significant sentence member is the attribute (attribuutti), which modifies a noun, providing more descriptive detail. Attributes typically agree in case and number with the noun they modify. Finally, the complement (komplementti) is a sentence member that completes the meaning of a verb or adjective, often following certain verbs or in specific grammatical constructions. Understanding these lausekejäsenet is crucial for comprehending Finnish grammar and constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.