Breakdown of Hiihdän mieluummin kuin ajan mopolla.
ajaa
to drive
kuin
than / like / as (also in "before …")
mieluummin
rather
mopo
the moped
hiihtää
to ski
Questions & Answers about Hiihdän mieluummin kuin ajan mopolla.
In English we say "drive a moped." Why does Finnish use the -lla ending in mopolla here?
This is how Finnish expresses the means of transport! Instead of acting on the vehicle as a direct object, you are traveling by means of the vehicle. The adessive case (-lla/-llä) tells us the instrument or transport being used, so ajan mopolla translates more literally to "I drive by moped."
What is the base form of the word mieluummin?
It is the comparative form of the adverb mielellään, which means "gladly" or "willingly." Therefore, mieluummin literally means "more gladly" or "preferably." When used with kuin (than), it is the standard Finnish way to say you "would rather" do something.
Why does the verb hiihtää (to ski) change to hiihdän?
This happens because of consonant gradation. Hiihtää is a Type 1 verb. When you add the personal ending -n (for "I"), you close the final syllable. This forces the strong -ht- consonant combination in the stem to weaken into -hd-.
Could I leave out the second verb and just say Hiihdän mieluummin kuin mopolla?
No, you need the second verb ajan because you are comparing two completely different actions: skiing (hiihdän) and driving (ajan). You can only drop the second verb if the action is exactly the same for both things, for example: Ajan mieluummin autolla kuin mopolla (I would rather drive by car than by moped).
Learn Hiihdän mieluummin kuin ajan mopolla and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free