Breakdown of Neuvola on sairaalan takana.
olla
to be
sairaala
the hospital
takana
behind
neuvola
the child health clinic
Questions & Answers about Neuvola on sairaalan takana.
How is the word neuvola formed?
It is derived from the noun neuvo (advice) or the verb neuvoa (to advise). By adding the place suffix -la, it literally becomes "a place of advice". In Finland, neuvola specifically refers to a maternity and child health clinic.
Is the -la part of sairaalan also the same place suffix?
Yes, it is! The base word for hospital, sairaala, is built from the adjective sairas (sick). The stem is sairaa-, and adding the -la suffix turns it into "a place for the sick". It ends in -n here because of the grammar of the sentence.
Why does sairaala have the genitive -n ending in this sentence?
The word takana (behind) is a postposition. Just like prepositions in English, postpositions express location or time, but in Finnish they usually come after the noun. Most postpositions require the noun connected to them to be in the genitive case, which is why sairaala becomes sairaalan.
Can the ending of takana change if movement is involved?
Yes. The -na ending in takana shows a stationary, fixed location ("at the back of"). If you were moving to behind the hospital, you would use taakse (sairaalan taakse), and if you were coming from behind it, you would use takaa (sairaalan takaa).
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