Breakdown of Minä hymyilin, koska tentti oli helppo.
olla
to be
minä
I
koska
because
hymyillä
to smile
helppo
easy
tentti
the exam
Questions & Answers about Minä hymyilin, koska tentti oli helppo.
How do we get the past tense form hymyilin from the dictionary form?
The dictionary form is hymyillä (to smile), which is a Type 3 verb. To form the past tense, you find the consonant stem by removing the -lä, which leaves hymyil-. Then, you add the past tense marker -i-, and finally the personal ending -n (for "I"). This gives us hymyilin.
Do any vowels get dropped or changed when adding the past tense -i- to hymyillä?
No! This is the nice thing about Type 3 verbs. Because the consonant stem (hymyil-) ends in a consonant, you just attach the -i- directly to it. You don't have to worry about dropping or changing any final stem vowels like you do with Type 1 verbs.
The verb olla (to be) is also a Type 3 verb. Why is its past tense oli instead of following the same rule?
Good catch! olla is the big exception. While it is technically a Type 3 verb, it is highly irregular. Its past tense stem is simply oli-, so "it was" (third-person singular) is just oli. This is a very common word, so you just have to memorize its irregular past tense forms!
Why is the adjective helppo in its basic dictionary form here?
Adjectives in Finnish have to match the form of the noun they describe. In the second half of the sentence, tentti (the exam) is the subject, so it is in the basic dictionary form (the nominative case). Therefore, helppo (easy) must also stay in its basic dictionary form.
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