Questions & Answers about Harjaa tukka ja juokse bussiin!
Why is the object tukka in the basic nominative form instead of tukan?
Because the verb harjaa (brush!) is a command (imperative). In Finnish, when you have a total object with an imperative verb, it drops the usual -n ending. It takes the nominative singular form instead, which looks exactly like the basic dictionary word.
How do we form the commands harjaa and juokse?
To make a second-person command (telling one person to do something), you take the present tense "I" form of the verb and drop the -n. For example, minä harjaan (I brush) becomes harjaa! and minä juoksen (I run) becomes juokse!.
Why do we use the illative case bussiin (into the bus) instead of a case that just means "to" the bus?
In English, you run "to" the bus or get "on" it, but in Finnish, you usually talk about going into enclosed vehicles. The illative case (-iin) specifically shows movement into the inside of the bus.
Could I use hiukset instead of tukka for "hair" in this sentence?
Yes, both mean hair. Tukka treats the hair on your head as a single mass, which is why it is singular here. Hiukset is plural, but because the imperative object rule also uses the nominative form for plurals, you would simply say Harjaa hiukset!
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