Questions & Answers about Olen lukenut paksuja kirjoja.
Why does the word kirja change to kirjo- in kirjoja?
When making a plural form in Finnish, you add the plural marker i or j. For many words ending in -a (like kirja), that final -a turns into an -o- before the plural marker. Then you add the partitive ending -a, giving you kirjo- + -j- + -a = kirjoja.
Why doesn't the end of paksu change before the -ja ending, the way kirja did?
Words ending in -u or -y are very stable in Finnish. They don't change or drop their final vowel when you add the plural marker. You simply attach the partitive plural ending -ja directly to the basic word, making paksuja.
Why are "thick books" in the partitive case (paksuja kirjoja) instead of the regular plural (paksut kirjat)?
The partitive plural is used because you are talking about an unspecified amount of things, similar to saying "some thick books" in English. If you used the regular plural (paksut kirjat), it would mean you read all the specific thick books you and the listener were just talking about!
Why is the verb lukenut used instead of luin?
This sentence is in the present perfect tense ("I have read"), which connects a past action to the present. You form it using the verb olla (here, olen) plus the past participle form of the main verb, which ends in -nut or -nyt. Luin is the simple past tense ("I read").
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