Breakdown of Vaikka ansaitset paljon, sinun kannattaa sijoittaa.
sinä
you
paljon
a lot
vaikka
although / even though
kannattaa
to be profitable / to be worth it
ansaita
to earn
sijoittaa
to invest
Questions & Answers about Vaikka ansaitset paljon, sinun kannattaa sijoittaa.
Why is the second "you" written as the genitive sinun instead of sinä?
The verb kannattaa is an obligation verb, which here translates to "it is worthwhile" or "ought to". These special verbs require the person doing the action to be in the genitive case. That is why we use sinun instead of the basic word for you, sinä.
Why doesn't kannattaa get a -t ending like ansaitset does, since both are actions done by "you"?
Obligation verbs like kannattaa and pitää always stay in the third person singular form (the "he/she/it" form) in this structure. Instead of changing the verb ending to match "you", Finnish relies on the genitive subject sinun to show who the recommendation applies to.
Why is sijoittaa used in its basic dictionary form?
When you use an obligation verb structure like sinun kannattaa, the actual action you are talking about must be in the first infinitive, which is the basic dictionary form. Therefore, we just use sijoittaa (to invest) without adding any personal endings to it.
I've learned that pitää also means "should" or "must". Could I use sinun pitää here instead of sinun kannattaa?
Grammatically yes, but the meaning would change. Sinun kannattaa sijoittaa means it is a good idea or highly recommended to invest. Sinun pitää sijoittaa is much stronger, meaning you have a strict obligation or absolute requirement to do it.
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