Breakdown of Opiskelija, joka kysyy paljon, on fiksu.
olla
to be
kysyä
to ask
opiskelija
student
paljon
a lot
Questions & Answers about Opiskelija, joka kysyy paljon, on fiksu.
Why do we use joka for 'who' here instead of kuka?
In Finnish, kuka is only used to ask a question. When you connect sentences and say something like 'the student who...', you must use the relative pronoun joka.
How do we know what form the verb kysyy should be in?
The verb inside the joka clause matches the word that joka refers to. Since joka points back to the singular word opiskelija, the verb takes the 'he/she' (third-person singular) form kysyy.
Are the commas before joka and after paljon strictly necessary?
Yes! Unlike English, where commas in 'who' clauses are sometimes optional, Finnish grammar strictly requires you to separate the relative clause (joka kysyy paljon) from the main sentence with commas on both sides.
Why does the sentence continue with on fiksu right after the comma?
The core main sentence is simply Opiskelija on fiksu (The student is smart). The relative clause joka kysyy paljon is inserted into the middle to describe the student. The comma after paljon shows that the extra description is over and the main sentence is resuming.