Questions & Answers about Emmekö me laula hyvin?
How exactly does emmekö translate to "don't we"?
It is built from three parts: the negative verb stem e-, the "we" ending -mme, and the question ending -kö. Together, emme means "we don't", and adding -kö turns it into the question "don't we?".
Why is the question ending -kö instead of -ko here?
This is due to vowel harmony. The negative verb emme only contains the vowel e, which acts as a front vowel in Finnish. Therefore, it must take the front vowel version of the question ending, which is -kö.
Why is the verb laula used instead of laulamme?
In negative sentences, the main verb drops its personal ending (like -mme) and uses what is called the connegative form. Because the negative verb emmekö already shows that the subject is "we" (first person plural), the main verb laulaa is stripped down to just laula.
Do we really need the word me (we) if emmekö already says who is singing?
Grammatically, no. You could just say Emmekö laula hyvin? However, including me is very common and natural, especially in spoken Finnish, as it adds a bit of emphasis to the "we".
Is hyvin related to the word hyvä (good)?
Yes! Just like in English where "good" becomes "well" when describing an action, the Finnish adjective hyvä (good) becomes the adverb hyvin (well) when describing how you sing.
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