Breakdown of Herätyskello ei soinut aamulla.
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
aamu
morning
herätyskello
alarm clock
soida
to ring
Questions & Answers about Herätyskello ei soinut aamulla.
Why is the verb soinut instead of a regular past tense form like soi?
This sentence is in the negative past tense. In Finnish, to say that something "did not" happen, you use the negative verb (ei for "it did not") plus the past participle form of the main verb, rather than the standard past tense. For singular subjects, this participle always ends in -nut or -nyt.
How do I form the past participle soinut from the dictionary verb soida (to ring)?
Soida is a Type 2 verb (verbs ending in -da or -dä). To make the past participle for a singular subject, you just drop the -da and add -nut (or -nyt depending on vowel harmony). So, soida becomes soi- + -nut = soinut.
Why is the word for "in the morning" aamulla? Doesn't the -lla ending mean "on"?
Yes, the -lla ending usually means "on" a surface. However, Finnish also uses this ending to express certain times of the day. Just like we say "in the morning" in English, Finnish says aamulla (literally "on the morning"). You will also see this in päivällä (during the day) and illalla (in the evening).
How does the compound word herätyskello break down?