Breakdown of Kansa on iloinen, kun yhteiskunta toimii.
olla
to be
iloinen
happy
kun
when (conjunction)
toimia
to function, to work / to act
yhteiskunta
the society
kansa
nation
Questions & Answers about Kansa on iloinen, kun yhteiskunta toimii.
Why do we use toimii for 'works' instead of työskentelee?
The verb toimia means 'to function' or 'to operate'. You use it for machines, systems, or societies. The verb työskennellä means 'to work' in the sense of a person doing a job or laboring.
Why is kansa on singular when it refers to a large group of people?
In Finnish, collective nouns like kansa (the nation/the people) are grammatically singular, just like perhe (family). Because it is treated as one single unit, it requires the singular verb on.
This lesson focuses on the -llinen suffix for adjectives. Why doesn't iloinen (glad) use it?
While -llinen is highly productive, the -inen suffix is another major way to turn a noun into an adjective. Iloinen comes from ilo (joy) + -inen. Interestingly, its exact opposite does use our current lesson's suffix: suru (sorrow) becomes surullinen (sad).
How would you turn yhteiskunta (society) into an adjective using this lesson's -llinen suffix?
First, put the noun into its weak stem form (which changes the 'nt' to 'nn' due to consonant gradation), and then add the suffix. This creates the adjective yhteiskunnallinen (societal). For example, you might read about a yhteiskunnallinen ongelma (societal problem) in the news.
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