Breakdown of Tiedätkö, muuttavatko he aikataulun, jos vieras myöhästyy?
he
they
tietää
to know
jos
if
myöhästyä
to be late
muuttaa
to change (something)
aikataulu
schedule
vieras
guest
Questions & Answers about Tiedätkö, muuttavatko he aikataulun, jos vieras myöhästyy?
The English translation uses 'if' twice, but the Finnish sentence only has jos once. Why?
In English, 'if' is used for both choices ('Do you know whether...') and conditions ('...in the event that...'). Finnish strictly separates these! For the 'whether' part, you attach the question particle -ko to the verb, making muuttavatko (will they change). You only use jos for the actual condition (jos vieras myöhästyy).
Why are there two verbs with the question particle -ko/-kö in this sentence?
The main question is Tiedätkö (Do you know). The second part, muuttavatko he (whether they change), is an embedded yes/no question. In Finnish, anytime you have a 'whether' or 'if' question inside a sentence, that specific verb must also take the -ko or -kö ending.
Why does aikataulu (schedule) have an -n at the end here?
It is the direct object of the verb muuttavatko. Because they are going to change the entire schedule, the object takes the genitive -n ending to show that the action is complete.
What is the base form of myöhästyy?
The base form is myöhästyä (to be late). Because the subject vieras (the guest) is a third-person singular word, the verb takes the 'hän/se' ending, which means doubling the last vowel of the stem to make myöhästyy.
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