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Questions & Answers about Lumi häipyy keväällä.
The lesson is about automative verbs with the suffix -tua/-tyä, but häipyy comes from häipyä. Is it related?
Yes! While it doesn't use the exact -tua/-tyä suffix, häipyä functions as an automative verb. It describes an action happening on its own—the snow vanishes, without anyone actively "vanishing" it. Its transitive counterpart (to deliberately fade or blend something) is häivyttää.
Why does the verb keep the 'p' in häipyy? Doesn't the consonant gradation change p to v?
You are thinking of the right rule! For verb type 1 (häipyä), the p changes to v in the weak grade (like minä häivyn, meaning "I vanish"). However, the third-person forms (hän/se häipyy, he häipyvät) always use the strong grade, so the p stays.
Why do we use the -llä ending for keväällä instead of the "in" ending (-ssä)?
When talking about seasons, Finnish uses the adessive case (-lla/-llä) to express "in the [season]". You will see this pattern with all the seasons: keväällä (in spring), kesällä (in summer), syksyllä (in autumn), and talvella (in winter).
Could I use the verb kadota instead of häipyä to say the snow disappears?
Absolutely. Lumi katoaa keväällä is a very common and neutral way to say the snow disappears. Häipyä can mean "to vanish" or "to fade away," but it is also used colloquially by people to mean "to get out of here" or "to scram."