Questions & Answers about Ikkuna rikottiin yöllä.
How is the passive past rikottiin formed from the verb rikkoa?
Rikkoa (to break) is a type 1 verb. To make it passive past, we use the weak stem. Consonant gradation changes the double -kk- to a single -k-, giving us the stem riko-. Because it ends in -oa, we simply attach the passive past ending -ttiin to get rikottiin (was broken).
Why is the object ikkuna in the basic form, instead of ikkunan?
In the passive voice, complete objects don't take the normal -n ending. If an active, known person did the breaking, you would use the -n (e.g., Mies rikkoi ikkunan - The man broke the window). But because this is a passive sentence, the object takes the basic nominative form (ikkuna).
Could I translate "The window was broken by a thief" by just adding "by a thief" to the end of this sentence?
No, Finnish doesn't work like English here! The Finnish passive is strictly used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or completely left out. You cannot add "by someone" to a passive sentence. If you want to mention the thief, you must use the active voice: Varas rikkoi ikkunan (A thief broke the window).
Why is it yöllä and not yössä for "at night"?
Finnish uses the adessive case (-lla/-llä) for most general parts of the day to express when an event happens. Just like you say aamulla (in the morning) and illalla (in the evening), you use yöllä to say "at night."
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