Questions & Answers about Opiskelija ajattelee paljon.
How do we form ajattelee from the dictionary form?
The dictionary form is ajatella (to think). It is a Type 3 verb because it ends in two consonants and a vowel (-lla). To conjugate a Type 3 verb, you drop the last two letters (in this case, -la) and add an e to make the stem. For the third-person singular form (matching "the student"), the rule is to double the final vowel, making it end in -ee.
Why does ajattelee have a double tt when the dictionary form ajatella only has one t?
Type 3 verbs use "reverse" consonant gradation! You might remember that for Type 1 verbs, the dictionary form is usually strong and the conjugated forms are weak. For Type 3 verbs, it's the opposite: the dictionary form (ajatella) is in the weak grade (one t), but the conjugated present tense forms become strong (double tt). This gives us the strong stem ajattele-.
Is the word opiskelija related to this lesson's verbs?
Yes! It is derived from the verb opiskella (to study), which is another Type 3 verb just like ajatella. The Finnish ending -ja or -jä is often added to a verb stem to describe a person who does that action. So, someone who studies is an opiskelija (student).
Why isn't there a pronoun like hän (he/she) before the verb?
Because opiskelija (the student) is the subject of the sentence, a pronoun isn't needed. The verb ajattelee is in the third-person singular form because a singular noun like "the student" triggers the exact same verb form as hän.
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