Word
Sinullakaan ei ole jano.
Meaning
You are not thirsty either.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Sinullakaan ei ole jano.
olla
to be
sinä
you
ei
no / not (negative verb)
-kaan
neither / not either (also -kään)
Questions & Answers about Sinullakaan ei ole jano.
Why is the -kaan ending attached to Sinulla instead of the verb?
In Finnish, the clitic -kaan (or -kään) attaches directly to the word it emphasizes. Here, the emphasis is on you (meaning 'You aren't thirsty either'), so it attaches to Sinulla to make Sinullakaan.
Why do we say Sinullakaan instead of using the basic word for you (Sinä)?
Finnish does not use the verb 'to be' for physical feelings like hunger, thirst, or being cold. Instead, it uses the 'I have' structure: the person is in the adessive case (-lla or -llä) followed by the verb olla (to be) and the noun for the feeling. So, 'you are thirsty' is literally 'on you is thirst' (sinulla on jano).
Why is the negative verb ei ole used here instead of et ole?
Could I use -kin here instead of -kaan?
No. The clitic -kin means 'also' or 'too', but it is only used in positive sentences (like Sinullakin on jano - 'You are thirsty too'). Because this sentence is negative, you must use the negative equivalent, which is -kaan (or -kään).