Signification
Understand why something happened.
Contexte culturel
Finns value 'suoruus' (directness). Finding the 'syy' is seen as a way to be honest and efficient. If you don't know the reason, it's better to admit you are 'getting it clear' than to guess. In Finnish engineering and IT culture, 'saada selville syy' is the first step in any process. There is a strong 'no-blame' culture where finding the reason is more important than finding someone to blame. News headlines often use this phrase to show that they are providing deep analysis, not just surface-level facts. Asking 'Saitko selville syyn?' is a polite way to ask for gossip without sounding too nosy, as it implies you are interested in the 'facts' of the situation.
The 'Result' Verb
Remember that 'saada' implies you successfully finished the search. It's a very satisfying verb to use!
Case Sensitivity
Don't forget to change 'syy' to 'syytä' if you are saying you *didn't* find it out.
Signification
Understand why something happened.
The 'Result' Verb
Remember that 'saada' implies you successfully finished the search. It's a very satisfying verb to use!
Case Sensitivity
Don't forget to change 'syy' to 'syytä' if you are saying you *didn't* find it out.
Professionalism
In a Finnish office, saying 'Selvitän asian' or 'Saan syyn selville' makes you sound very competent and reliable.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing word in the correct case.
En saanut selville ______ (syy).
In a negative sentence, the object 'syy' must be in the partitive case 'syytä'.
Which sentence is the most natural for a news report?
The police are investigating the cause of the fire.
'Yrittää saada selville' is the standard way to describe an ongoing investigation.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Miksi tietokoneeni on niin hidas? B: En tiedä, mutta ______.
'Saada selville' is the correct collocation for discovering information.
Match the Finnish phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the most common variations of the phrase.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesEn saanut selville ______ (syy).
In a negative sentence, the object 'syy' must be in the partitive case 'syytä'.
The police are investigating the cause of the fire.
'Yrittää saada selville' is the standard way to describe an ongoing investigation.
A: Miksi tietokoneeni on niin hidas? B: En tiedä, mutta ______.
'Saada selville' is the correct collocation for discovering information.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the most common variations of the phrase.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsTechnically yes, but it sounds like you found a physical piece of paper with the reason written on it. 'Saada selville' is much more natural for mental discovery.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend. It's one of the most useful 'all-around' phrases in Finnish.
'Syy' is a cause (why something happened). 'Peruste' is a justification or a logical ground (why a decision was made).
You say: 'Sain selville syyn viivästykseen.' Note the illative case '-en' on the end of 'viivästys'.
Yes, but it sounds a bit like you are investigating them. 'Sain selville syyn hänen vihaansa' means you discovered why he is angry.
It looks plural because of the '-i-', but it's actually an old lative form. You don't need to worry about the singular/plural distinction here; it's always 'selville'.
Yes! You can use it with any question word: 'saada selville kuka' (find out who), 'saada selville missä' (find out where).
Use the present continuous-style: 'Yritän saada selville syytä.' (I am trying to find out the reason.)
Absolutely. It's the standard phrase for researchers finding the cause of a disease or a natural phenomenon.
You can just use the verb 'selvittää'. 'Selvitän syyn' is shorter and means almost the same thing.
Expressions liées
ottaa selvää
similarTo find out / to investigate
selvittää
synonymTo clarify / to solve
päästä perille
builds onTo understand deeply / to get to the bottom of
hiffata
informalTo get it / to realize
