Questions & Answers about Hänen isoäitinsä asuu yksin.
Why do we need both Hänen and the -nsä suffix on isoäitinsä?
In standard Finnish, third-person possessives always require both the genitive pronoun (Hänen for his/her, Heidän for their) and the possessive suffix (-nsa/-nsä or -Vn) attached to the noun. Unlike first and second-person possessives (like my or your), you cannot leave the pronoun out.
Why does isoäitinsä use the suffix -nsä instead of -nsa?
This is because of vowel harmony. The word isoäiti (grandmother) contains the front vowel ä and the neutral vowel i. Because there are no back vowels (a, o, u) in the word, the suffix must also use a front vowel, making it -nsä.
How do we know if Hänen means his or her?
We don't know just from this sentence alone! Finnish pronouns are entirely gender-neutral. Hänen comes from hän (he or she), so Hänen isoäitinsä can translate to either his grandmother or her grandmother depending on the context.
Is the word yksin (alone) related to the number one?
Yes, it is! The adverb yksin comes directly from the number yksi (one). It is a helpful way to remember that it means alone or by oneself.
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