Päälausu

Päälausu is a Finnish term that translates to "main clause" in English. In linguistics, a main clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and can stand alone as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought and is independent of any other clause. In contrast, a subordinate clause, also known as a dependent clause, cannot stand alone and relies on the main clause for its full meaning.

The structure of a Finnish main clause typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, though this can be flexible for emphasis. For example, in the sentence "Minä luen kirjaa" (I am reading a book), "Minä" (I) is the subject, "kirjaa" (book) is the object, and "luen" (am reading) is the verb. This forms a complete thought and is therefore a main clause.

Main clauses are fundamental building blocks of sentences in Finnish, as in many other languages. They can appear on their own as simple sentences or be joined with other clauses, either main or subordinate, to form more complex sentence structures. Understanding the concept of the main clause is crucial for analyzing sentence structure and comprehending Finnish grammar.