Breakdown of Jos nukkuu tarpeeksi, oppii paremmin.
nukkua
to sleep
oppia
to learn
hyvin
well
jos
if
tarpeeksi
enough
Questions & Answers about Jos nukkuu tarpeeksi, oppii paremmin.
Who is the subject of nukkuu and oppii?
There is no specific subject! This is the zero-person construction. By using a 3rd person singular verb without a subject pronoun like hän, Finnish creates a general statement meaning 'if one sleeps' or 'if you sleep in general'.
Does a zero-person sentence always leave out the subject pronoun?
Exactly. If you added hän here (Jos hän nukkuu tarpeeksi, hän oppii paremmin), it would change the meaning to refer to a specific person: 'If he/she sleeps enough, he/she learns better.' Leaving the subject out completely is what makes it apply to anyone.
The word tarpeeksi ends in -ksi. Is that the translative case?
Yes, it originally comes from the noun tarve (need) in the translative case. However, in modern Finnish, tarpeeksi is just a fixed adverb meaning 'enough,' so you can just memorize it as a single vocabulary word.
Why is it paremmin instead of parempi?
Because it modifies the verb oppii (learns). Paremmin is the comparative adverb meaning 'better' (from hyvin = well). You would use the adjective parempi if you were describing a noun, like a better student (parempi opiskelija).
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