Breakdown of Tämä apuväline on parempi kuin vanha, joten vammainen lapsi pystyy leikkimään.
tämä
this
olla
to be
vanha
old
lapsi
child
leikkiä
to play (children, with toys)
kuin
than / before (in 'ennen kuin') / like / as
joten
so, therefore
parempi
better
pystyä
to be able to, to manage
apuväline
assistive device
vammainen
disabled
Questions & Answers about Tämä apuväline on parempi kuin vanha, joten vammainen lapsi pystyy leikkimään.
Why is the verb for "to play" in the form leikkimään instead of the basic dictionary form leikkiä?
The verb pystyä (to be able to) requires the next verb to take the 3rd infinitive illative form, which ends in -maan or -mään. Because leikkiä contains front vowels (e, i), it takes the -mään ending.
Could I use osaa or voi instead of pystyy here?
You could use voi (can), but pystyy is the most precise choice. While osaa means knowing how to do a skill and voi is a general "can," pystyä specifically emphasizes having the physical or practical capability to do something. The assistive device gives the child that physical capability.
The English translation says "than the old one", but the Finnish just says kuin vanha. Do we not need a word for "one"?
Finnish doesn't use a placeholder word like "one" after adjectives. You simply use the adjective on its own as if it were a noun. Parempi kuin vanha translates literally as "better than old."
What does the compound word apuväline consist of?
It combines apu (help, assistance) and väline (tool, instrument, piece of equipment). Literally a "help tool," it is the standard word for an assistive device.
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