Breakdown of Älä huuda, kun puhut minulle.
minä
I
puhua
to speak
kun
when (conjunction)
älä
don't (negative imperative)
huutaa
to shout
Questions & Answers about Älä huuda, kun puhut minulle.
Why do we use älä here instead of the normal negative word ei?
Älä is a special negative word used specifically for commands (the imperative). You use it instead of ei when you are telling one person 'don't!'.
How is the word huuda formed from the dictionary verb huutaa (to shout)?
After älä, you must use the connegative stem of the verb. You find this by taking the 'I' form of the verb (minä huudan) and dropping the final -n. Notice that the strong -t- in huutaa weakens to a -d- in huudan, which carries over to the command form huuda.
Why is the second verb puhut in a normal form instead of a command form?
The command part of the sentence is only the first clause: 'don't shout'. The second part, kun puhut (when you speak), is just a normal statement describing when the shouting shouldn't happen, so it uses the standard 'you' form of the verb.
Why is the word for 'me' in the -lle form (minulle)?
When you say you are speaking 'to' someone in Finnish, the verb puhua takes the allative case ending -lle. So minä (I) becomes minulle (to me).
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