B1 Finnish GrammarRelative Clauses
Connect clauses in Finnish using relative pronouns joka, mikä, and interrogative-relative constructions.
1Joka (Who/Which/That)
Joka is the main relative pronoun for people and things. It agrees in case with its role in the relative clause.
Joka Declension
| Case | Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | joka | subject |
| Genitive | jonka | possessor |
| Partitive | jota | partial object |
| Inessive | jossa | in which |
| Elative | josta | from which |
Examples
Mies, joka seisoo tuolla, on veljeni.
The man who is standing there is my brother.
joka = subject
Kirja, jonka luin, oli mielenkiintoinen.
The book that I read was interesting.
jonka = object (genitive)
Talo, jossa asun, on vanha.
The house in which I live is old.
jossa = in which
Kaupunki, josta tulen, on pieni.
The city from which I come is small.
josta = from which
2Mikä (What/Which)
Mikä is used when referring to entire clauses, indefinite things, or with superlatives.
Mikä Declension
| Case | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mikä | what/which |
| Genitive | minkä | of what |
| Partitive | mitä | what (partial) |
| Inessive | missä | in what |
Examples
Hän myöhästyi, mikä harmitti minua.
He/She was late, which annoyed me.
refers to whole clause
Tämä on parasta, mitä olen syönyt.
This is the best that I have eaten.
mitä with superlative
Kaikki, mitä sanoit, on totta.
Everything that you said is true.
mitä with kaikki
En tiedä, mikä on ongelma.
I don't know what the problem is.
indirect question
3Plural Relative Pronouns
For plural antecedents, use jotka (nominative plural) and its case forms.
Plural Forms
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | joka | jotka |
| Genitive | jonka | joiden |
| Partitive | jota | joita |
| Inessive | jossa | joissa |
Examples
Ihmiset, jotka tulivat, olivat ystävällisiä.
The people who came were friendly.
jotka = plural subject
Kirjat, joita luin, olivat hyviä.
The books that I read were good.
joita = plural object
Talot, joissa asuimme, olivat vanhoja.
The houses in which we lived were old.
joissa = in which (plural)
Lapset, joiden vanhemmat tulivat, olivat iloisia.
The children whose parents came were happy.
joiden = whose (plural)
4Relative Clause Word Order
In Finnish relative clauses, the relative pronoun comes first, followed by subject-verb or verb-subject order.
Word Order Patterns
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| rel + verb + subj | joka asuu täällä | who lives here |
| rel + subj + verb | jonka minä näin | whom I saw |
| rel + adv + verb | jossa hän asuu | where he lives |
Examples
Nainen, jonka tapasin eilen, soitti minulle.
The woman whom I met yesterday called me.
relative clause embedded
Auto, jolla ajamme, on uusi.
The car with which we drive is new.
jolla = with which
Paikka, jonne menemme, on kaukana.
The place where we are going is far.
jonne = to which
Aika, jolloin tapasin hänet, oli kesä.
The time when I met him/her was summer.
jolloin = when