Breakdown of On huolimatonta mennä sisään tervehtimättä edes ystävää.
olla
to be
ystävä
friend
mennä
to go
sisään
in
tervehtiä
to greet
huolimaton
careless
edes
even
Questions & Answers about On huolimatonta mennä sisään tervehtimättä edes ystävää.
How is tervehtimättä formed and what does it mean here?
It means "without greeting". It is the third infinitive abessive form taught in this lesson. To make it, take the strong stem of the verb tervehtiä (to greet), which is tervehti-, add the third infinitive marker -mä-, and then add the abessive ending -ttä (meaning "without").
Why is huolimatonta in the partitive case?
In Finnish, when you use the structure "It is [adjective] to do something" (like "It is careless to go..."), the adjective must be in the partitive case. The base word is huolimaton (careless), and its partitive form is huolimatonta.
Why is ystävää (friend) in the partitive case instead of the accusative?
The verb tervehtiä (to greet) is a partitive verb. This means its object must always be in the partitive case. Therefore, ystävä (friend) becomes ystävää.
How does the word edes work in this sentence?
The word edes means "even" and is often used in negative contexts. The word tervehtimättä (without greeting) provides that negative meaning here. You place edes directly before the word it emphasizes, which is why it comes right before ystävää (even a friend).
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