Questions & Answers about Minulla ei ole autoa, koska kieltäydyn ajamasta.
Why does 'to drive' translate to ajamasta instead of the basic form ajaa?
The verb kieltäytyä (to refuse) requires the action you are refusing to do to be in the third infinitive elative form (-masta or -mästä). You form this by taking the strong stem of the verb, which is aja-, and adding -masta.
Does the -sta in ajamasta mean 'from', just like in location words such as Helsingistä?
Yes, exactly! The -sta or -stä ending is the elative case, which usually means 'out of' or 'from'. While in English you say you refuse to do something, Finnish logic treats it as refusing from doing an action.
Why is the word for car in the partitive form (autoa)?
Whenever you use a negative ownership sentence like minulla ei ole (I do not have), the thing you do not have must be in the partitive case. Therefore, the basic word auto becomes autoa.
What is the dictionary form of kieltäydyn, and why is there a 'd' in it?
The dictionary form is kieltäytyä (to refuse). It undergoes consonant gradation where the strong t weakens to a d when the syllable is closed. When you add the -n ending for 'I', it closes the syllable, changing kieltäyty- to kieltäydy-.