Word
Kukka on hatussa.
Meaning
The flower is in the hat.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Kukka on hatussa.
Why is it hatussa with one 't' when the basic word for hat is hattu with two 't's?
When you add the ending -ssa (in) to hattu, it closes the last syllable. In Finnish, closing a syllable causes strong double consonants like tt to weaken to a single t. This is the consonant gradation rule you are practicing!
The word kukka has a double 'kk'. Why doesn't it lose a 'k' like hattu did?
Kukka is in its basic dictionary form here as the subject of the sentence. Because we haven't added any endings to it, its final syllable is still open, so the kk stays strong. If you wanted to say 'in the flower', you would add -ssa and it would weaken to kukassa.
Is there a word for 'the' in this sentence?
No, Finnish doesn't have articles like 'a' or 'the'. Kukka can mean 'a flower' or 'the flower', and hatussa can mean 'in a hat' or 'in the hat'. You just figure it out from the context of the conversation.
What happens if I change the word order to Hatussa on kukka?
It changes the focus of the sentence. Kukka on hatussa usually translates to 'The flower is in the hat' (telling you where a specific flower is). Hatussa on kukka translates to 'There is a flower in the hat' (telling you what is inside the hat).