Breakdown of Hän lakkaa tupakoimasta, koska se on paha tapa.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
hän
he / she
koska
because
lakata
to stop
tupakoida
to smoke
paha
bad (evil, severe)
tapa
habit
Questions & Answers about Hän lakkaa tupakoimasta, koska se on paha tapa.
Why does the verb for smoking have the ending -masta here?
The verb lakata (to stop) requires the action you are stopping to take the third infinitive elative form, which ends in -masta or -mästä. In Finnish grammar, you do not just stop doing something; you stop 'from' doing it. So, tupakoida (to smoke) becomes tupakoimasta (from smoking).
How exactly do you build tupakoimasta from the dictionary form tupakoida?
tupakoida is a verb type 2, meaning it ends in -da or -dä. To get the stem for the third infinitive, you simply drop that ending. That leaves you with tupakoi-. Then you attach the third infinitive marker -ma- and the elative case ending -sta, giving you tupakoimasta.
The word lakkaa looks a bit strange. What is its dictionary form?
The dictionary form is lakata, which is a verb type 4 meaning 'to stop' or 'to cease'. To conjugate type 4 verbs, you remove the -ta or -tä, apply consonant gradation (here, adding a 'k'), and add the personal ending. The hän form extends the final vowel, creating the word lakkaa.
Does the word tapa always mean 'habit'?
While tapa means 'habit' in this sentence, it is also a very common word for 'way', 'manner', or 'custom'. You will often see it in phrases like tällä tavalla (in this way). When talking about good or bad personal behaviors like smoking, translating it as 'habit' is the most natural fit.
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