Breakdown of Tein hänelle palveluksen, koska jokainen hyvä teko on tärkeä.
olla
to be
hän
he / she
koska
because
hyvä
good
tehdä
to do
tärkeä
important
jokainen
every / each (declinable)
teko
act
palvelus
favor
Questions & Answers about Tein hänelle palveluksen, koska jokainen hyvä teko on tärkeä.
This lesson is about using the translative case with tehdä. Why isn't there a translative word in this sentence?
Because you aren't changing someone's state or making them into something (like making someone happy, Tein hänet iloiseksi). Here, tehdä just has its basic meaning of 'to do'. You are simply doing a favor (palveluksen), so the sentence takes a normal object instead of a translative complement.
Why is the word hän in the allative case (hänelle)?
The allative case (ending in -lle) is used to show who benefits from an action or who it is directed towards. It translates perfectly here as doing a favor 'for' him or 'to' him.
Why is the object palveluksen rather than the partitive palvelusta?
Because the action is complete and you did one whole favor, making it a total object. It takes the genitive-looking accusative ending -n. If the sentence were negative (I didn't do a favor), you would use the partitive palvelusta.
Is the word teko (deed) related to the verb tehdä (to do)?
Yes! Teko is a noun derived straight from the verb tehdä. It literally means an act or a deed, representing the thing that has been done.
Why is tärkeä in the basic nominative case and not the partitive?
In an 'A is B' sentence, if the subject is a singular, countable noun like teko (deed), the describing adjective must also be in the nominative case. You would only use the partitive for the adjective if the subject was an uncountable mass noun, like water or time.
Learn Tein hänelle palveluksen, koska jokainen hyvä teko on tärkeä and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free