Breakdown of Kävelevätkö he terveyskeskukseen vai näyttelyyn?
he
they
vai
or (in questions)
kävellä
to walk
terveyskeskus
health center
näyttely
exhibition
Questions & Answers about Kävelevätkö he terveyskeskukseen vai näyttelyyn?
Why does terveyskeskus change to terveyskeskukseen?
The base word is terveyskeskus (health center). Words ending in -us change their stem to -ukse- before adding grammar endings. Because this new stem ends in the short vowel e, we form the illative ("into") case by doubling that vowel and adding -n. This makes the ending -en, creating the full word terveyskeskukseen.
Why does näyttelyyn end in -yn instead of -seen like the other word?
The illative ending changes depending on the word's stem. Because näyttely (exhibition) ends in a short vowel (y), you simply double that last vowel and add -n. This creates näyttelyyn. The -seen ending you see in terveyskeskukseen happens because that word's modified stem ends in a short e, while its dictionary form ends in a consonant.
Why use vai for "or" here? Can I use tai?
You must use vai because this is a question offering two mutually exclusive options to choose from (they are either going to the health center OR the exhibition). tai is used for "or" in regular statements, or in questions where the answer is just "yes" or "no".
Why is the question particle -kö instead of -ko on the verb kävelevätkö?
This is due to vowel harmony. The verb kävelevät (they walk) contains the front vowels ä and e. Therefore, the attached question particle must also use the front vowel version, making it -kö instead of -ko.
Learn Kävelevätkö he terveyskeskukseen vai näyttelyyn and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free