Breakdown of Jos sinulla on kiire, sinun täytyy mennä.
mennä
to go
kiire
hurry
täytyä
to have to
sinun
your, yours
jos
if
Questions & Answers about Jos sinulla on kiire, sinun täytyy mennä.
Why is the second "you" sinun instead of sinä?
This is the Finnish obligation construction. When you use the verb täytyy (must), the person who "must" do something has to be in the genitive case. So, the basic word sinä (you) becomes sinun. You can think of it as literally saying "It is required of you."
Does the verb täytyy change endings depending on who has to do the action?
No, it doesn't! Unlike normal verbs that change to match the subject (like minä menen, sinä menet), täytyy is a special "necessive" verb. It stays frozen in this exact form no matter who we are talking about. You only change the genitive word in front of it: minun täytyy, sinun täytyy, meidän täytyy, etc.
Why is mennä left in its basic dictionary form here?
Because it is part of a verb chain. When you use a modal verb like täytyy (must), or other helper verbs like haluta (want) or voida (can), the second verb in the chain is always left in its basic, unconjugated infinitive form. So it is sinun täytyy mennä, not sinun täytyy menet.
The English translation says "If you are in a hurry". Why does the Finnish use sinulla on (you have)?
In Finnish, you don't say that you are a hurry. Instead, you say that you have a hurry (kiire). Just like saying "you have a dog" (sinulla on koira), Finnish uses the -lla ending plus the verb on (is) to express "having" certain states or feelings, such as being in a hurry, being hungry, or being cold.
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