Learn Finnish: Voitko sinä nojata minun olkapäähäni ryhmäkuvassa? - Can you lean on my shoulder in the group photo?

Voitko sinä nojata minun olkapäähäni ryhmäkuvassa?

Can you lean on my shoulder in the group photo?

Breakdown of Voitko sinä nojata minun olkapäähäni ryhmäkuvassa?

Questions & Answers about Voitko sinä nojata minun olkapäähäni ryhmäkuvassa?

How do we get the exact spelling of olkapäähäni from the base word olkapää (shoulder)?

This word has two endings. First, we add the illative ("into") case ending -hän, making olkapäähän. Next, we add the possessive suffix -ni to match minun (my). Here is the tricky part: when adding a possessive suffix to a word in the illative case, the final -n of the case ending is dropped. So, olkapäähän + ni becomes olkapäähäni. You use this exact same dropping rule when inflecting postpositions with possessive suffixes!

Why do we use the "into" case (olkapäähäni) when the English translation says to lean "on" the shoulder?

In Finnish, the verb nojata (to lean) dictates the case of the word it points to. It strictly requires the target to be in the illative (the "into" or "toward") case. While English speakers think of resting their weight on something, Finnish speakers think of directing it into something.

Why is the verb nojata in its basic dictionary form here?

Because it follows voitko (can you). When you use the verb voida (to be able to / can), the main action verb in the sentence stays in its basic infinitive form, exactly like in English.

Do I have to say Voitko sinä, or is just Voitko enough?