Questions & Answers about Koira haisi pahalta eilen.
Why does the word for bad end in -lta here?
The verb haista (to smell) is a perception verb. In Finnish, verbs related to senses (like looking, sounding, or smelling) require the describing word to be in the ablative case, which ends in -lta or -ltä. Because of this rule, paha (bad) becomes pahalta.
The lesson mentions tuoksua for smelling. Why does this sentence use haisi instead?
Finnish has two different verbs for emitting a smell. Tuoksua is used when something smells good, like flowers or baking bread. Haista is used when something smells bad or stinks. Since the dog smelled bad, haista is the natural choice here.
What is the dictionary form of haisi?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is haista. It is a type 3 verb. To make the past tense (imperfect) for a third-person subject like koira, the present tense form haisee drops its final vowel and adds the past tense marker -i, becoming haisi.
Can I move eilen to the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can say Eilen koira haisi pahalta. Putting the time word at the beginning is very common and slightly emphasizes that this happened yesterday specifically. The sentence shown here uses the most neutral, standard word order.