Breakdown of Hän ei edes lannistunut, koska hänellä on uskomaton henkinen voima.
olla
to be
hän
he / she
koska
because
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
Questions & Answers about Hän ei edes lannistunut, koska hänellä on uskomaton henkinen voima.
Where exactly do we place edes in a negative sentence like this?
The focus adverb edes usually comes right after the negative verb (ei) and immediately before the word it emphasizes. Here, it emphasizes the verb lannistunut, giving us the structure ei edes lannistunut (did not even get discouraged).
Why is the verb in the form lannistunut?
This is the negative past tense. To say someone did not do something, you use the negative verb (ei) plus the active past participle of the main verb, which ends in -nut or -nyt. The basic verb is lannistua (to get discouraged).
Why is uskomaton henkinen voima in the basic nominative form here?
In Finnish, the 'to have' structure (hänellä on) does not take a normal object. The thing possessed is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence, so a complete, singular thing like incredible mental power stays in the basic nominative form.
How is the word uskomaton built?
It comes from the verb uskoa (to believe). Adding the suffix -maton or -mätön creates an adjective meaning 'without doing' or 'unable to be done'. So uskomaton literally means unbelievable or incredible.