DW English Life 2d ago Original

Espanjassa on kuollut 12 ihmistä tulipalossa.

Twelve people have died in a wildfire in Spain.

Finnish · A1 level

Simple Finnish

Tap to reveal English

1.

Tulipalo alkoi Almeriassa, joka on eteläisessä Espanjassa.

The wildfire started in Almeria, which is in southern Spain.
2.

Kuusi ihmistä kuoli Bedarin kylässä.

Six people died in the village of Bedar.
3.

Kuusi muuta kuoli Los Gallardosissa.

Six more died in Los Gallardos.
4.

Andalusian ministeri sanoo, että tilanne on tragedia.

The Andalusian minister says the situation is a tragedy.
5.

Pääministeri Pedro Sanchez on suruissaan.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is grieving.
6.

Viranomaiset pyytävät ihmisiä välttämään vaarallisia alueita.

Authorities ask people to avoid dangerous areas.
7.

Palokunta taistelee tulta 150 palomiehen voimin.

Firefighters are fighting the fire with 150 firefighters.
8.

Tulipalo saattoi alkaa kaatuneesta sähkölinjasta.

The wildfire may have started from a fallen power line.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
kuolla on kuollut	to die has died	Present perfect tense (3rd person singular)
alkaa alkoi	to start started	Past tense (3rd person singular)
sanoa sanoo	to say says	Present tense (3rd person singular)
tulipalo tulipalossa	wildfire in a wildfire	Inessive case (location inside)
ihminen ihmistä	person people (partitive)	Partitive case (quantity)
taistella taistelee	to fight is fighting	Present tense (3rd person singular)

0. Espanjassa on kuollut 12 ihmistä tulipalossa.

This sentence uses the present perfect tense ('on kuollut') to describe a past event with present relevance. In Finnish, the present perfect is formed with the auxiliary verb 'olla' (to be) in the present tense and the past participle of the main verb. Here, it emphasizes the result (deaths) rather than the time of the event. Learners can use this structure to talk about recent or important past events, e.g., 'Hän on syönyt' (He/She has eaten).

1. Tulipalo alkoi Almeriassa, joka on eteläisessä Espanjassa.

The inessive case ('Almeriassa') is used here to indicate location inside a place. The inessive case is formed by adding '-ssa/-ssä' to the noun stem, depending on vowel harmony. It answers the question 'missä?' (where?). For example, 'Helsingissä' (in Helsinki) or 'talossa' (in the house). This is a fundamental case for describing locations in Finnish.

6. Viranomaiset pyytävät ihmisiä välttämään vaarallisia alueita.

This sentence uses the partitive case ('ihmisiä') after the verb 'pyytää' (to ask/request). The partitive case is often used with verbs that imply an incomplete or ongoing action, especially when referring to plural or uncountable nouns. Here, it indicates that authorities are asking people in general, not a specific group. For example, 'Hän syö leipää' (He/She is eating bread).