Breakdown of Huomaa sääntö: valitse aina portaat.
aina
always
valita
to choose
sääntö
rule
huomata
to notice
Questions & Answers about Huomaa sääntö: valitse aina portaat.
How do I form the command huomaa from the dictionary form huomata?
Huomata (to notice) is a Type 4 verb. To form the informal command (the imperative) for Type 4 verbs, just take the minä form (huomaan - I notice) and drop the -n. This leaves you with huomaa.
Valitse is the command form of valita (to choose). Does it follow the same rule?
Yes! Valita is a Type 5 verb. Just like with Type 4, you find the imperative by taking the minä form (valitsen - I choose) and dropping the -n. This gives you the command valitse.
Why is the object sääntö (rule) not in the -n accusative form (säännön)?
When you give a command, total objects drop their -n ending. Because this sentence is telling someone what to do ("Note the rule!"), the object looks exactly like the basic dictionary form (sääntö) instead of taking the normal object ending.
What is the basic singular form of portaat (the stairs)?
The basic singular form is porras (a stair or step). When talking about a staircase, Finnish almost always uses the plural form portaat. Just like singular objects, plural objects in commands don't take any special object endings; they just use the regular plural form.