Questions & Answers about Me näemme hiipivän suden.
How is the active present participle hiipivä formed from the verb hiipiä?
To form the active present participle (which often translates to an English "-ing" word like "sneaking"), you take the strong stem of the verb and add -va or -vä. For hiipiä (to sneak), the stem is hiipi-. Following vowel harmony rules, we add -vä to get the participle hiipivä.
Why does the participle hiipivä end in -n in this sentence?
Active present participles act exactly like adjectives. This means they must agree with the noun they describe in both case and number. Because the object of the sentence (suden) is in the accusative case ending in -n, the participle modifying it must also take the -n ending, becoming hiipivän.
Why is the object hiipivän suden in the accusative case instead of the partitive case?
We use the accusative case (which looks identical to the genitive -n here) because the action targets a whole, specific object. You are seeing one entire sneaking wolf. If the sentence were negative, the object would require the partitive case: Emme näe hiipivää sutta (We do not see the sneaking wolf).
The basic word for "wolf" is susi. How does it become suden?
Older Finnish words ending in -si usually change their ending to -te- when you add a suffix. For susi, the stem is sute-. When you add the -n ending, the syllable becomes closed, which triggers consonant gradation. The strong t weakens to a d, turning sute- + -n into suden.
Learn Me näemme hiipivän suden and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free