Breakdown of Hän on huolestunut tulevaisuudesta.
olla
to be
hän
he / she
huolestua
to get worried
tulevaisuus
future
Questions & Answers about Hän on huolestunut tulevaisuudesta.
Why does 'about the future' translate to the elative case tulevaisuudesta here?
The word huolestunut comes from the emotion verb huolestua (to get worried). In Finnish, verbs expressing an emotion or reaction often require the thing causing the emotion to be in the elative case (-sta or -stä). So, instead of a separate word for 'about', you just attach the ending to the noun.
Is huolestunut a verb or an adjective here?
It acts like an adjective, but it is actually the past participle (the NUT-participle) of the verb huolestua (to become worried). Using this participle with the verb olla describes a state that has been reached, which perfectly translates to 'is worried'.
Could I say hän on huolissaan tulevaisuudesta instead?
Yes, absolutely! Olla huolissaan and olla huolestunut both mean 'to be worried' and are largely interchangeable. Both of these expressions require the object of the worry to be in the elative case.
Why does the base word tulevaisuus (future) change to tulevaisuude- before adding the -sta ending?