Word
Kaikki nukkuvat.
Meaning
Everyone is sleeping.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Kaikki nukkuvat.
In English we say "Everyone is sleeping" with a singular verb. Why does Finnish use the plural verb nukkuvat?
In Finnish, the word kaikki (everyone/all) acts as a plural word when it refers to a group of people. Because of this, you must use the "they" form of the verb (nukkuvat) instead of the "he/she" form (nukkuu).
How would I say "Everyone sleeps" instead of "Everyone is sleeping"?
You would say exactly the same thing: Kaikki nukkuvat. Finnish does not have a separate "is doing" (continuous) tense like English. The context tells you whether it means "everyone sleeps" in general or "everyone is sleeping" right now.
Why does nukkuvat keep the double "kk", doesn't the verb nukkua change because of consonant gradation?
It does change in some forms, but not this one! The basic verb is nukkua. While forms like minä nukun (I sleep) drop a "k" to take the weak grade, the third-person forms like hän nukkuu (he/she sleeps) and he nukkuvat (they sleep) always use the strong grade, keeping the original double "kk".