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Finnish frequency list

No. 953 in Finnish

eli

"Or" or "that is to say."

In a sentence

  • Hän opiskeli lääketiedettä, eli hänestä tuli lääkäri.

    He studied medicine, meaning he became a doctor.

    In this sentence, 'eli' is used to explain or specify the consequence of the previous statement.

  • Maalaus oli impressionistinen eli se edusti tiettyä taidesuuntausta.

    The painting was impressionistic, in other words, it represented a specific artistic movement.

    Here 'eli' is used to restate or clarify the description given earlier.

  • Soitan viulua, eli käytän aikaa harjoitteluun päivittäin.

    I play the violin, which means I spend time practicing daily.

    In this context, 'eli' is used to infer a logical conclusion linking the main statement to the result.

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