Breakdown of Poika ei juo likaista vettä.
poika
boy
ei
no / not (negative verb)
juoda
to drink
vesi
water
likainen
dirty
Questions & Answers about Poika ei juo likaista vettä.
Why do we use likaista instead of the basic form likainen?
In Finnish, adjectives must match the noun they describe. Because the noun for water is in the partitive case (vettä), the adjective for dirty must also be in the partitive case. For words ending in -nen like likainen, the ending changes to -is- before adding the partitive ending -ta, making it likaista.
Why is the word for water in the partitive case (vettä) here?
The main reason is that in a negative sentence (using ei), the object of the action must always be in the partitive case. Because the boy does not drink it, vesi is forced into the partitive form vettä. Water is also an uncountable mass noun, which is another reason it takes the partitive.
How exactly does the basic word vesi become vettä?
Many older Finnish words that end in -si (like vesi or uusi) have a special rule when you add endings. The -si part changes to a -t-. Then, we add the partitive ending -tä, which gives us vettä.
Why is the verb form just juo after the negative word ei?
In negative sentences, the main verb does not use its normal personal ending. Instead, you use the negative verb (ei for he/she/it) followed by the base form of the main verb. For the verb juoda (to drink), that base form is juo.
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