Breakdown of Laukkua ei kuvailtu tarkasti.
laukku
bag
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
tarkasti
carefully (closely, attentively)
kuvailla
to describe
Questions & Answers about Laukkua ei kuvailtu tarkasti.
Why is the past passive negative ei kuvailtu instead of ei kuvailtiin?
In the negative past passive, we do not use the standard affirmative ending (-tiin or -ttiin). Instead, we use the negative word ei followed by the passive past participle. This participle ends in -tu, -ty, -ttu, or -tty. For this verb, the correct form is kuvailtu.
How do we get the form kuvailtu from the dictionary verb kuvailla (to describe)?
Kuvailla is a type 3 verb. To find the passive past participle for type 3 verbs, you take the dictionary form, drop the final -la or -lä, and add -tu or -ty. Here, kuvail- plus -tu makes kuvailtu.
Why is the bag (laukku) in the partitive case (laukkua) in this sentence?
The rule for negative sentences is very strict in Finnish: the object of a negative sentence must always be in the partitive case. Because the bag was not described, laukku becomes laukkua.
How is the word tarkasti formed?
Tarkasti is an adverb made from the adjective tarkka, which means accurate or exact. Adding the ending -sti to an adjective is the Finnish equivalent of adding -ly in English.