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Questions & Answers about Peseydyn joka aamu.
How does peseydyn relate to the basic verb pestä?
The verb pestä means to wash something else, like a car or clothes. Adding the reflexive suffix -ytyä to the verb stem creates the new verb peseytyä, which means to wash oneself. Peseydyn is simply the first person singular form of this new reflexive verb.
Why is there a d in peseydyn when the suffix is usually -tyä?
The basic dictionary form is peseytyä. When you add the personal ending -n to make it mean I wash, the final syllable becomes closed. This triggers consonant gradation, weakening the strong t into a weak d.
Could I just say pesen itseni instead of using the reflexive verb?
Yes, pesen itseni (I wash myself) is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, using a derived reflexive verb like peseytyä is much more natural and typical in Finnish for routine actions you do to your own body.
Why is aamu in the basic nominative form here instead of a time case?
When expressing recurring time using the word joka (every), the following noun stays in the basic nominative form. Also, as a handy exception to remember, when joka means every, it is completely indeclinable, meaning it never takes any case endings itself.