Breakdown of Nämä ovat uudet kilpailijat, ja he laskeutuvat kauneimmin.
olla
to be
ja
and
he
they
nämä
these
Questions & Answers about Nämä ovat uudet kilpailijat, ja he laskeutuvat kauneimmin.
How is the superlative adverb kauneimmin formed from the adjective kaunis?
To say "most beautifully", we use the superlative adverb suffix -immin. The stem of the adjective kaunis (beautiful) is kaunii-. When adding -immin, the long ii at the end of the stem changes to an e to make it flow better with the suffix. So, kaunii- + -immin becomes kauneimmin.
What is the base verb for laskeutuvat, and how is it related to the verb laskea?
The base verb is laskeutua, meaning "to land" or "to descend". It is built from the verb laskea (to lower or to count) using the suffix -utua. This suffix often creates a reflexive meaning, where the action happens to the subject itself. So, instead of lowering something else, they are lowering themselves.
Why does the sentence use he instead of ne for "they"?
In standard written Finnish, he is used exclusively for people, while ne is used for animals and things. Since kilpailijat (competitors) are human, standard Finnish requires he. Keep in mind that in everyday spoken Finnish, people almost always use ne for both humans and things!
Why do we use Nämä ovat instead of Tämä on at the start of the sentence?