DW English World 1d ago Original

Poliisi pidätti epäillyn Ann Widdecomben murhasta.

Police arrested a suspect in Ann Widdecombe's murder.

Finnish · A1 level

Simple Finnish

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1.

Ann Widdecombe oli 78-vuotias entinen ministeri.

Ann Widdecombe was a 78-year-old former minister.
2.

Poliisi sanoo murhatutkimuksen olevan alkuvaiheessa.

Police say the murder investigation is in its early stages.
3.

Poliisi etsii 26-vuotiasta valkoista miestä.

Police are looking for a 26-year-old white man.
4.

Poliisi pyytää apua silminnäkijöiltä.

Police ask for help from eyewitnesses.
5.

Poliisi sanoo tapauksen olevan tutkinnan alla.

Police say the case is under investigation.
6.

Poliisi ei epäile terrorismia tai poliittista motiivia.

Police do not suspect terrorism or political motives.
7.

Poliisi pyytää apua myös kamerakuvista.

Police also ask for help from camera footage.
8.

Poliisi pyytää apua myös kamerakuvista.

Police also ask for help from camera footage.

Key Words

Word	English	Form
pidättää pidätti	to arrest arrested	past tense (imperfect)
epäilty epäillyn	suspect a suspect (accusative)	accusative case (singular)
murha murhasta	murder of the murder	elative case (singular)
etsiä etsii	to look for is looking for	present tense (3rd person singular)
pyytää pyytää	to ask for asks for	basic form (infinitive) or present tense (3rd person singular)
apu apua	help help (partitive)	partitive case (singular)

0. Poliisi pidätti epäillyn Ann Widdecomben murhasta.

The sentence uses the past tense (imperfect) form of the verb 'pidättää' (to arrest), which is 'pidätti.' In Finnish, the past tense is often used to describe completed actions. To form the past tense, you typically add '-i' to the verb stem. For example, 'puhua' (to speak) becomes 'puhui' (spoke). This structure is essential for narrating events that have already happened.

4. Poliisi pyytää apua silminnäkijöiltä.

This sentence uses the ablative case ('-ltä') for the noun 'silminnäkijä' (eyewitness), resulting in 'silminnäkijöiltä.' The ablative case is used to indicate 'from whom' something is received or asked. For example, 'pyytää kirjaa ystävältä' means 'to ask for a book from a friend.' This case helps clarify the source or origin of an action.

6. Poliisi ei epäile terrorismia tai poliittista motiivia.

The sentence uses the negative form of the verb 'epäillä' (to suspect), which is 'ei epäile.' In Finnish, negation is formed by placing 'ei' before the verb in its basic form. For example, 'Minä en syö' means 'I do not eat.' This structure is fundamental for expressing negative statements in the present tense.