Breakdown of Toivottavasti tappio jää pieneksi.
pieni
small
jäädä
to stay
tappio
the loss
toivottavasti
hopefully
Questions & Answers about Toivottavasti tappio jää pieneksi.
Why is the adjective pieni in the translative case (pieneksi)?
The verb jäädä (to stay, to remain) often requires the translative case (-ksi) for the adjective describing the outcome. While English uses "stays" to describe a continuous state, Finnish thinks of this as "ends up being", which triggers the translative.
How could I use "taitaa" from this lesson's grammar to express that this is likely?
If you want to say "The loss will probably stay small" rather than "Hopefully it stays small", you would use taitaa plus the first infinitive of the main verb. The sentence becomes: Tappio taitaa jäädä pieneksi.
Is it possible to use the verb pysyä instead of jäädä here?
Yes, but the grammar would change. Pysyä (to stay, to keep) focuses on maintaining an unchanged state and requires the essive case (-na or -nä). You would say Tappio pysyy pienenä. Jäädä focuses on the final result, which is why it pairs with the translative case here.
How is the word toivottavasti formed?
It is built from the verb toivoa (to hope). The -ttava part is a passive participle meaning "to be hoped for", and the -sti suffix turns it into an adverb. Together, they create "hopefully".
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