Päälause

Päälause is a term from Finnish grammar that refers to the main or principal clause in a sentence. It is the part of a sentence that can stand on its own as a complete statement and conveys the central proposition. In a complex sentence, the päälause is connected to one or more subordinate clauses (ala-lause), which add information such as time, reason, condition, or content.

In Finnish, the päälause usually contains a finite verb and expresses the core information of the sentence. Subordinate clauses depend on the päälause for their syntactic position and meaning, functioning as objects, subjects, adverbials, or complements. The relationship between päälause and ala-lause is often signaled by conjunctions such as että (that), koska (because), kun (when), if/jos (if), or by relative elements, with a comma typically separating clauses.

The concept of päälause helps describe sentence structure independently of word order, which can be flexible in Finnish due to rich inflection. A single main clause can stand alone, as in a simple sentence, or it can form the backbone of a more complex sentence when paired with subordinate clauses.

Examples:

- Minä luen kirjaa. (I am reading a book.) Here, "Minä luen kirjaa" is a päälause that forms a complete sentence.

- Minä menen kotiin, kun työ on valmis. (I am going home when the work is finished.) The first clause is the päälause; the second is an ala-lause expressing time.

- Hän sanoi, että hän tulee myöhässä. (He said that he will be late.) The main clause is "Hän sanoi," with the content clause "että hän tulee myöhässä" as the subordinate part.