Breakdown of Tuotto mahtaa olla suuri, mutta tappiokaan ei ole mahdoton.
olla
to be
mutta
but
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
mahdoton
impossible
suuri
large, great
mahtaa
to wonder / to might (auxiliary)
tuotto
the return
tappio
the loss
Questions & Answers about Tuotto mahtaa olla suuri, mutta tappiokaan ei ole mahdoton.
Why is mahtaa used here instead of saattaa or voi to mean 'might'?
Both mahtaa and saattaa express probability or something that 'might' happen. However, mahtaa often carries a slightly more speculative or pondering tone, like 'I wonder if...' or 'it is probably the case that...'. Here, it pairs with the first infinitive olla to express a strong guess about the return being high.
Why is the suffix -kaan added to tappio?
The suffix -kaan (or -kään) means 'either' or 'neither' when used in a negative sentence. Since the second half of the sentence is negative (ei ole mahdoton), tappiokaan translates to 'a loss, either' or 'even a loss'.
Why isn't mahdoton in the partitive case, since the verb is negative (ei ole)?
The negative verb ei ole usually forces the partitive case if the subject is an uncountable mass noun, a plural, or if it is an existential sentence ('there is not...'). However, this is a basic 'A is not B' sentence where the subject tappio is a singular countable noun. Therefore, both the subject (tappio) and its describing adjective (mahdoton) stay in the nominative case.
Are tuotto and tappio common vocabulary for this context?
Yes! Tuotto means 'return', 'yield', or 'profit' in a financial context, coming from the verb tuottaa (to produce). Tappio means 'loss' or 'defeat'. They are exact opposites when talking about investments or business.
Learn Tuotto mahtaa olla suuri, mutta tappiokaan ei ole mahdoton and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free