Questions & Answers about Ruoassa on pieni kukka.
Why is it ruoassa and not ruokassa?
The basic word for food is ruoka. When we add the inessive ending -ssa (meaning "in"), it triggers consonant gradation. For ruoka, the single k drops out completely, changing the stem to ruoa- before the -ssa is attached.
Since this lesson is about consonant changes, why does kukka still have its double k?
Consonant gradation only happens when we add an ending to the word, like the -ssa in ruoassa. Because kukka (flower) is the subject of this sentence and is in its basic dictionary form with no endings attached, its consonants stay exactly the same.
Why does the sentence start with the location (Ruoassa) instead of the subject (pieni kukka)?
This is a classic "there is" sentence. Finnish doesn't have a direct translation for the word "there" in this context. Instead, you put the location first (Ruoassa), then the verb (on), and finally the new thing that exists in that location (pieni kukka).
Because the k dropped out, ruoassa has three vowels in a row. How do we break that into syllables?
The disappearing consonant leaves a vowel cluster, but it is easy if you break it down: ruo-as-sa. The first part, uo, is a diphthong (two vowels pronounced together in one syllable), and the a starts the next syllable.