Breakdown of Kääntäjä, jolta pyydän apua, kirjoittaa usein ranskaksi.
usein
often
kirjoittaa
to write
apu
help
pyytää
to ask for
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
kääntäjä
translator
ranska
French
Questions & Answers about Kääntäjä, jolta pyydän apua, kirjoittaa usein ranskaksi.
Why is the word for French in the translative case (ranskaksi)?
In Finnish, when you specify the language used to write, speak, or communicate, you use the translative case (-ksi). So ranskaksi translates to 'in French'. If you just wanted to say 'I know French', you would use the partitive: Osaan ranskaa.
Why does the sentence use jolta (from whom) instead of a direct object like 'whom'?
The verb pyytää (to ask for or request) requires you to ask from someone. This is why the relative pronoun joka (who or which) takes the ablative ending (-lta), becoming jolta.
Why is apua in the partitive case?
When you ask for something using pyytää, the thing you are requesting must be in the partitive case. The base word is apu (help), which becomes apua.
Are the commas around jolta pyydän apua strictly necessary?
Yes. In Finnish, relative clauses (phrases starting with forms of joka or mikä) must always be separated from the main sentence by commas.
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