Breakdown of Mahtaako sijoittaja pelätä tappiota?
pelätä
to fear
mahtaa
to wonder / to might (auxiliary)
sijoittaja
the investor
tappio
the loss
Questions & Answers about Mahtaako sijoittaja pelätä tappiota?
Why does mahtaako translate to "I wonder if"?
The verb mahtaa is used to express probability, like "might" or "probably". When you add the question clitic -ko to it, you are literally asking "might it be that...". In English, this is most naturally translated as "I wonder if...".
Why is the main verb pelätä in its basic dictionary form?
Because mahtaa acts as an auxiliary (helping) verb here. Just like with verbs you learned earlier such as voida (can) or haluta (want), the main verb that follows it must be in the first infinitive (the dictionary form).
Why is the word for loss (tappio) in the partitive case (tappiota)?
The verb pelätä (to fear or to be afraid of) is a verb expressing emotion or feeling. In Finnish, verbs of emotion almost always require their object to be in the partitive case.
Could I ask this without mahtaa by just saying Pelkääkö sijoittaja tappiota?
Yes, but the meaning changes slightly. Pelkääkö sijoittaja tappiota? is a direct question: "Is the investor afraid of a loss?". Using mahtaako and leaving the main verb in the infinitive softens it into a pondering question: "I wonder if the investor is afraid of a loss?".
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