Breakdown of Voimakkuus on niin kova, että diskantti kuuluu ylempää.
olla
to be
niin
so
että
that (conjunction)
kova
strong (intense, hard)
ylös
up (motion)
voimakkuus
volume
diskantti
treble
kuulua
to be heard / be audible
Questions & Answers about Voimakkuus on niin kova, että diskantti kuuluu ylempää.
How is the comparative adverb ylempää formed here?
It is built from the root ylä- (upper). First, the final ä changes to e, giving the comparative stem ylempä-. Then, to express motion away from a place ('from higher up'), Finnish spatial adverbs use the partitive ending -ä. Together, this makes ylempää.
Why does the sentence use kova for 'loud'?
While kova usually translates to 'hard', it is the standard adjective used to describe loud sounds in Finnish (for example, kova ääni means 'a loud noise'). In this context, voimakkuus on kova literally means the 'strength is hard', which translates naturally to 'the volume is loud'.
Doesn't the verb kuuluu usually mean 'belongs to'?
It does mean 'to belong to' when used with the illative case, but its other very common meaning is 'to be heard' or 'to be audible'. Because the subject here is diskantti (treble), the context makes it clear that 'is heard' is the right translation. You actually already know this meaning from the greeting Mitä kuuluu? (literally: What is heard?).
How do you break down the word voimakkuus (volume)?
It is an abstract noun derived from voima (power or force). Adding the suffix -kas makes the adjective voimakas (strong). Adding the noun-forming suffix -uus gives us voimakkuus (strength, or in audio contexts, volume). Notice the consonant gradation where the single k strengthens to a double kk before the -uus suffix.
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