Breakdown of Lääkäri peitti vasemman, heikon silmän.
lääkäri
doctor
silmä
eye
vasen
left (direction)
peittää
to cover
heikko
weak
Questions & Answers about Lääkäri peitti vasemman, heikon silmän.
Why do vasemman, heikon, and silmän all end in -n?
They make up the direct object of the sentence. Because peitti (covered) is a completed, positive action, the object phrase takes the accusative case. For singular words, this accusative form looks exactly like the genitive case, which is why they all get the -n ending.
How do we get the form vasemman from the basic word vasen (left)?
The word vasen is a bit unique but follows a pattern you are learning right now! Its base stem is vasempa-. When we add the -n ending, it triggers consonant gradation, weakening the -mp- to -mm-. So, vasen -> vasempa- -> vasemman. This is the exact same -mpi- / -mmi- stem variation you see when inflecting molemmat (both)!
Why does heikon only have one k, when the dictionary form is heikko?
Adding the -n ending closes the final syllable of the word. This triggers standard consonant gradation, causing the strong double kk in heikko to weaken to a single k in heikon.
Why is there a comma between vasemman and heikon?
Just like in English, a comma is used here to separate two adjectives that are equally describing the same noun ("the left, weak eye"). Because they modify silmän, both adjectives must match its grammatical case, ensuring they all agree and rhyme with that -n ending.
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