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Questions & Answers about Älä lyhennä helmaa!
How does the verb lyhennä relate to the adjective for "short"?
The dictionary form of this verb is lyhentää (to shorten). It is derived from the dimension adjective lyhyt (short). Finnish often builds verbs meaning "to make something [adjective]" by attaching a suffix like -ntää or -ntaa to the adjective's root.
Why is the verb spelled lyhennä with a double n?
This is a negative command. The negative imperative uses älä plus the connegative stem of the verb. To find this stem, take the "I" form of the verb (minä lyhennän) and remove the -n. Notice how the strong nt in the dictionary form (lyhentää) softens to nn in lyhennä because of consonant gradation!
Why is the object helma in the partitive case (helmaa)?
This is a strict rule in Finnish grammar: if an action directed at an object is negative, that object must be in the partitive case. Since älä makes this a negative command, the object helma takes the partitive -a ending to become helmaa.