Questions & Answers about Uusi peitto tuntuu pehmeältä.
Why does the word for soft have the -ltä ending here?
This is because of the verb tuntua (to feel). In Finnish, verbs of perception (words about how things look, sound, taste, smell, or feel) require the adjective describing them to be in the ablative case, which means adding -lta or -ltä.
Why is the ending -ltä instead of -lta on pehmeä?
This is due to vowel harmony. The word pehmeä has the front vowel ä (along with the neutral vowel e). Because it doesn't contain any back vowels (a, o, or u), the ending must use the matching front vowel version: -ltä.
Why doesn't uusi (new) also get the -ltä ending?
Uusi peitto (the new blanket) is the subject of the sentence, so both of those words stay in their basic dictionary form. The -ltä ending is only added to the word that answers 'what does it feel like?'—which in this case is pehmeältä.
Can I use tuntua to say how I am feeling, like 'I feel cold'?
No, the verb tuntua is used to describe how an object feels to your senses (like a blanket feeling soft). To talk about your own physical feelings or states, you use different structures in Finnish, like minulla on kylmä (I am cold).
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