Breakdown of Valmista aamiainen siskolle!
sisko
sister
valmistaa
to prepare (manufacture, make)
aamiainen
the breakfast
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Valmista aamiainen siskolle!
Why is aamiainen in its basic dictionary form here instead of aamiaisen?
This is the core rule of this lesson! Because the verb valmista is a command (imperative), the total object drops its usual -n ending. Instead of the genitive-accusative form, a singular total object of an imperative verb looks exactly like the nominative dictionary form.
How is the command form valmista made?
It comes from the verb valmistaa (to prepare). To make a command for one person, you find the "I" form (minä valmistan) and just drop the -n at the end, leaving valmista.
Why does the word for sister have the -lle ending here?
The ending -lle is the allative case. While it often translates to "onto", Finnish frequently uses it to express doing a favor or an action to or for someone. So, siskolle translates to "for the sister".
The English translation says "for your sister", but I don't see a word for "your" in the Finnish sentence. Is something missing?
No, it is perfectly normal! In everyday Finnish, possessive endings (like -si for "your") are often left off if the context makes it obvious whose family member it is. You absolutely could say siskollesi, but just siskolle is very natural here.