subordinointi

Subordinointi, or subordination, is the grammatical relation in which one clause (the subordinate clause) depends on another clause (the main clause) to complete its meaning. The subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a full sentence and adds information such as time, cause, condition, purpose, or description to the main clause.

Subordinate clauses come in several major types. Adverbial clauses modify the main clause and express time, reason, condition, concession, purpose, or result. Relative clauses modify a noun and are introduced by relative pronouns like who, which, or that. Noun-complement clauses function as the object or subject of a verb, often introduced by that or by whether, if, or questions. Some languages also have non-finite subordinate clauses born from participles or infinitives, which lack a finite verb form but still depend on the main clause.

Subordination is typically realized through subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns. Examples include because, since, when, if, although, that, which, who, and where. By contrast, coordination links units of equal status with coordinating conjunctions such as and, or, but.

In practice, subordinointi enables complex sentence construction and nuance, allowing speakers to embed clauses within clauses. It interacts with word order, punctuation, and intonation, and its specifics vary across languages. In Finnish grammar, for example, subordinointi is a central concept described in terms of conjunctions, relative forms, and finite versus non-finite subordinate clauses, reflecting how subordinate information is integrated into the main clause.