Breakdown of En halua ottaa pilleriä, jos oire ei ole paha.
olla
to be
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
ottaa
to take
haluta
to want
jos
if
paha
bad (evil, severe)
oire
symptom
pilleri
pill
Questions & Answers about En halua ottaa pilleriä, jos oire ei ole paha.
Why is pilleriä in the partitive case instead of the accusative?
Because the main clause is negative (en halua ottaa, I do not want to take). In Finnish, the object of a negative sentence must always be in the partitive case.
Why isn't paha also in the partitive case, since the jos clause is negative too (ei ole paha)?
Paha is an adjective describing the subject oire (symptom) with the verb olla (to be). With singular, countable subjects, the adjective complement stays in the nominative case (paha) even in negative sentences. It would only be partitive if the subject was an uncountable mass noun, like water or air.
Is paha the most natural word to use for a medical symptom?
Yes! While you could use a word like vakava (serious), paha is extremely common in everyday Finnish to describe symptoms, pain, or illnesses being severe. For example, paha yskä means a bad cough.
What form of the verb is ottaa here?
It is the basic dictionary form (first infinitive). The verb haluta (to want) pairs directly with the first infinitive of the action being wanted, creating the verb chain en halua ottaa (I do not want to take).
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