Breakdown of Kauneus katoaa, mutta viisaus pysyy.
mutta
but
pysyä
to stay (remain in a state or position)
kadota
to disappear
viisaus
the wisdom
kauneus
the beauty
Questions & Answers about Kauneus katoaa, mutta viisaus pysyy.
How is the abstract noun kauneus formed from the adjective kaunis?
The base adjective is kaunis (beautiful), which has the stem kaunii-. When creating abstract nouns from adjectives ending in -is, the -ii- changes to an -e- before adding the -us suffix. This gives us kauneus.
Why is the word for wisdom viisaus and not viisaasuus?
The adjective is viisas (wise), and its vowel stem is viisaa-. If we added the full -uus suffix to it, we would get three vowels in a row (-aauu-). Because Finnish generally avoids this, the suffix simplifies to just -us, resulting in viisaus.
Why does the verb katoaa have a -t- when its dictionary form is kadota?
Kadota (to disappear) is a Type 4 verb. These verbs undergo reverse consonant gradation: the dictionary form uses the weak grade (-d-), but the conjugated forms use the strong grade (-t-). Removing the -ta ending and applying the strong grade gives the stem katoa-.
Why do both verbs (katoaa and pysyy) end in a double vowel in this sentence?
Both kauneus and viisaus act as the third-person (it) subject of their clauses. In the present tense, Finnish verbs in the third-person singular are conjugated by doubling the final vowel of the verb stem. Thus, the stem katoa- becomes katoaa, and pysy- becomes pysyy.
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