Questions & Answers about Kuulen askeleen, koska ulkona on joku.
Why do we use joku here instead of jokin?
Joku means "someone" and refers specifically to people. If you thought an animal or a falling branch made the noise, you would use the pronoun jokin ("something").
Why is the word order ulkona on joku rather than joku on ulkona?
This is an existential sentence, which is the Finnish way of saying "there is someone outside". These sentences typically start with the location (ulkona), followed by the verb (on), and introduce the new subject (joku) at the very end.
Why is the word for "step" written as askeleen?
The basic dictionary form is askel. It takes the -n ending (the accusative case) because it is the total object of the action. You are hearing one complete step. Notice how an extra -e- appears in the stem before the ending is added!
If I wanted to say "I don't hear a step", how would askeleen change?
It would change to the partitive case: askelta. In negative sentences, the object of a verb is always in the partitive because the action is not completed. The phrase would become en kuule askelta.