Learn Finnish: Korkein huippu saavutetaan tänään. - The highest peak is reached today.

Korkein huippu saavutetaan tänään.

The highest peak is reached today.

Breakdown of Korkein huippu saavutetaan tänään.

Questions & Answers about Korkein huippu saavutetaan tänään.

How do we get korkein from the base adjective korkea?

The base adjective is korkea (high). To form the superlative, we add the suffix -in. When adding -in to words ending in a short vowel like -a or -ä, that final vowel is dropped. So, korkea drops the a and becomes korkein (the highest).

Why does the verb saavutetaan end in -taan?

This is the present passive form of the verb saavuttaa (to reach), translating to "is reached". For type 1 verbs ending in -aa or -ää, the final a or ä changes to an e before adding the passive ending -taan. That is why saavuttaa becomes saavutetaan.

Is there consonant gradation happening in the verb saavutetaan?

Yes! The basic verb is saavuttaa with a strong double tt. When forming the passive present tense for verb type 1, we use the weak stem of the verb. The double tt weakens to a single t, which gives us the stem saavute- before adding the -taan ending.

Why are korkein huippu in the nominative (basic) case instead of taking an object ending?