Breakdown of Merimies on kokenut kovan myrskyn.
olla
to be
kova
strong (intense, hard)
myrsky
storm
kokea
to experience
merimies
sailor
Questions & Answers about Merimies on kokenut kovan myrskyn.
How is the perfect tense formed in on kokenut?
The perfect tense uses the auxiliary verb olla (to be) conjugated to match the subject, which is on (is) here. You then add the past participle of the main verb kokea (to experience). The participle for a singular subject adds -nut to the stem, giving us kokenut.
Why do kovan and myrskyn both end in -n?
They form the object of the sentence. Because the sailor experienced a complete storm and the sentence is an affirmative statement, we use the total object form. For singular nouns, this adds an -n ending, which looks identical to the genitive case. The adjective kova (harsh) must take the same ending as the noun myrsky (storm).
Why isn't the storm in the partitive case (kovaa myrskyä)?
You use the partitive if the action is ongoing, incomplete, or if the sentence is negative. Because the perfect tense (on kokenut) here describes a fully completed, finished experience, the object takes the total object form kovan myrskyn instead.
What is the literal translation of merimies?
It is a compound word made of meri (sea) and mies (man), meaning it literally translates to sea man.
Learn Merimies on kokenut kovan myrskyn and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free