Asking "From" Someone
In English, you ask a person a question. In Finnish, verbs of asking require the person being asked to take the ablative case (-lta/-ltä). Think of it as extracting information from someone.
The most common verbs that follow this rule are kysyä (to ask) and tiedustella (to inquire). Remember vowel harmony: use -lta for back vowels (a, o, u) and -ltä for front vowels (ä, ö, y).
| I asked the passerby for directions. | Kysyin reittiohjetta ohikulkijalta. |
| They are inquiring about the schedule from the staff. | He tiedustelevat aikataulua henkilökunnalta. |
| You can inquire about the matter from the authority. | Voit tiedustella asiaa viranomaiselta. |
| The teacher asked the principal about the school's problems. | Opettaja kysyi rehtorilta koulun ongelmista. |
If you ask multiple people in the same sentence, attach the ablative ending to every person listed.
| The tourist inquires about the schedule from the driver and the janitor. | Turisti tiedustelee aikataulua kuljettajalta ja vahtimestarilta. |
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