Breakdown of Opitko sanat ulkoa kertaamalla niitä?
ne
they / those (non-human) / they (of people)
sana
word
oppia
to learn
kerrata
to review (study, repeat)
ulkoa
by heart
Questions & Answers about Opitko sanat ulkoa kertaamalla niitä?
How does the word kertaamalla translate to "by reviewing"?
It uses the third infinitive adessive form, which you are currently studying. You take the strong verb stem of kerrata (to review or repeat), which is kertaa-, and add -malla. This form is used to express the method or means by which something is done, translating exactly to "by doing" something in English.
Why does the sentence use the word ulkoa (from the outside)?
While ulkoa literally means "from the outside", here it is part of a very common fixed phrase. In Finnish, the idiom oppia ulkoa means "to learn by heart" or "to memorize".
Why is the word for "them" in the partitive case (niitä), while "the words" is sanat?
The pronoun niitä is the object of the action kertaamalla (by reviewing). Because the verb kerrata requires a partitive object, it takes the partitive plural niitä. Meanwhile, the main verb oppia (to learn) takes a normal total object, which for plural words is the nominative form sanat.
Could opitko also mean "did you learn" in the past tense?
Yes! The verb oppia is one of those verbs where the present tense (sinä opit) and the past tense (sinä opit) look exactly the same in the "you" form. You have to rely on context to know if it means "do you learn" or "did you learn".
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