Breakdown of Onko tämä jakolasku liian vaikea?
tämä
this
olla
to be
vaikea
difficult / hard
liian
too (excessively)
jakolasku
division
Questions & Answers about Onko tämä jakolasku liian vaikea?
Why is vaikea in the nominative case rather than the partitive vaikeaa?
In Finnish "A is B" sentences, the adjective's case depends on the subject. Because tämä jakolasku (this division problem) is a singular, countable noun, the adjective describing it must be in the basic nominative case (vaikea). You would use the partitive (vaikeaa) if the subject was uncountable (like water) or an abstract concept, for example: Onko matematiikka liian vaikeaa? (Is math too difficult?).
How is the word jakolasku formed?
It is a compound word made of jako (a division or sharing) and lasku (a calculation, count, or bill). You will see lasku at the end of all the basic math operations in Finnish, such as yhteenlasku (addition) and kertolasku (multiplication).
Could I use liikaa instead of liian in this sentence?
No, because you are modifying the adjective vaikea. Use liian when you want to say "too [adjective]" or "too [adverb]". You use liikaa when talking about an excessive amount of a noun or a verb, for example: Onko tässä liikaa työtä? (Is there too much work here?).
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