The Guardian World 3h ago Original

Philippiineillä senaatissa ammuttiin.

Gunshots were fired in the Senate in the Philippines.

Finnish · A1 level

Simple Finnish

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1.

Senaattori Ronald dela Rosa piileskelee rakennuksessa.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa is hiding in the building.
2.

Häntä etsii Kansainvälinen rikostuomioistuin.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
3.

Häntä syytetään rikoksista ihmisyyttä vastaan.

He is accused of crimes against humanity.
4.

Dela Rosa oli Duterten huumeiden vastaisen sodan johtaja.

Dela Rosa led Duterte's war on drugs.
5.

Häntä ei ole vielä pidätetty.

He has not been arrested yet.
6.

Tarkka tilanne on epäselvä.

The exact situation is unclear.
7.

Sisäministeri ei aio pidättää häntä.

The interior minister will not arrest him.
8.

Hän haluaa turvata kaikki ihmiset.

He wants to ensure everyone's safety.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
ampua ammuttiin	to shoot was shot (passive past)	Passive past tense (impersonal)
piileskellä piileskelee	to hide is hiding	Present tense (3rd person singular)
etsiä etsii	to search/look for wants (here: 'is wanted by')	Present tense (3rd person singular) + object in partitive
syyttää syytetään	to accuse is accused	Passive present tense
pidättää pidättää	to arrest to arrest (infinitive)	Infinitive (used with 'ei aio' = 'will not')
turvata turvata	to secure/ensure safety to secure (infinitive)	Infinitive (used with 'haluaa' = 'wants to')

0. Philippiineillä senaatissa ammuttiin.

The passive past tense ('ammuttiin') is used here to describe an action without specifying who performed it. In Finnish, the passive is often used in news headlines or general statements. For example, 'Syötiin kakkua' means 'Cake was eaten.' This structure is common in A1-level Finnish for describing events where the doer is unknown or unimportant.

1. Senaattori Ronald dela Rosa piileskelee rakennuksessa.

The inessive case ('rakennuksessa') is used to indicate location inside something. The ending '-ssa/-ssä' means 'in.' For example, 'Hän on talossa' means 'He is in the house.' This is a fundamental case for describing where something or someone is located, and it is introduced at the A1 level.

7. Sisäministeri ei aio pidättää häntä.

The construction 'ei aio + infinitive' is used to express future intentions in the negative. For example, 'En aio syödä' means 'I will not eat.' This is a simple way to talk about future plans or lack thereof, and it is appropriate for A1 learners.