Questions & Answers about Hän opiskelee kirjastossa.
Since opiskella is a Type 3 verb, how does it become opiskelee?
The dictionary form is opiskella (to study). For Type 3 verbs (which end in a consonant cluster like -lla or -sta), you find the stem by dropping the last two letters and adding an -e. This gives us the stem opiskele-. In the present tense for hän (he/she), you always double the last vowel of the stem, giving us opiskelee.
How would I make this sentence negative?
To make a negative sentence in Finnish, you use the correct form of the negative verb (here, ei for "she does not") followed by the verb stem. The stem of opiskella is opiskele-, so the negative sentence is Hän ei opiskele kirjastossa.
What does the -ssa ending on kirjastossa do?
The -ssa ending means "in" or "inside" (this is called the inessive case). The base word is kirjasto (library), so adding -ssa translates to "in the library".
Why does the ending on kirjastossa use an a instead of an ä?
This is due to the rule of vowel harmony. Because the base word kirjasto contains back vowels (a and o), any endings attached to it must also use back vowels. Therefore, we use -ssa instead of its front-vowel twin -ssä.
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