Questions & Answers about Kätesi on pieni, mutta kylmä.
How does the word käsi (hand) become kätesi here?
Before adding the possessive suffix -si (your), you must use the word's stem. For many older Finnish words ending in -si, the stem changes to -te-. So, käsi becomes käte-, and adding the suffix gives us kätesi.
Why is the word sinun (your) missing from this sentence?
In standard written Finnish, the possessive suffix -si on the noun is enough to show ownership. You can add the pronoun sinun in front for emphasis, but leaving it out is very common and grammatically correct.
Can kätesi also mean 'your hands' in the plural?
Yes, it can! When you add a possessive suffix to a basic plural word, the plural -t ending disappears. This makes the singular and plural forms look identical. We know it means one hand here because the verb is on (is), not ovat (are).
Why doesn't the suffix -si change to match the vowels in käsi?
The suffix -si contains the vowel i, which is neutral in Finnish vowel harmony. Neutral vowels don't change based on the other vowels in the word. You will always add -si, whether the word has front vowels like käsi or back vowels like auto.